Amnesia
by mistyhollowdrummer
Summary: While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind. Rated T for some fun stuff. XD Enjoy! (Yes, cover art is mine. :D)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: The first chapter in a few and... It's so short. T^T Welcome to my new story of Eren and Armin because they're so fucking adorable and hot and if you write a good lemon they come out... *fangirls* Huh? What? Whoa, I fell into a fangirl trance. owo I hate those. XD So, this is the first chapter. It's supposed to happen later on in the situation and then the rest of the fanfic (until the last two or so chapters) is what happened and blah blah blah. e.e I promise the next chapters will be much longer than this one! Bad me! e_e So... That's about it for now. XD Enjoy~ The fucking cuteness of these two~**

**Levi- You have a mouth on you.**

**Look whose talking short shit.**

**-Misty**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin****_****  
Amnesia**

**Chapter 1: Why can't I remember you?**

* * *

"Ow..." Armin mumbled.

"Sorry..." Eren was more careful when he ran the wet cloth over the wound on Armin's forehead.

"It's okay... You didn't mean it anyway." Armin continued looking up at Eren with his big blue eyes as he spoke. Eren tried not to look, but it was hard to do with how close they were. Instead he put the wash cloth in the bucket of bloody water and re-rung it.

He held the cloth up and looked at Armin. He waited for a moment to see if Armin was going to give him a sign that it wasn't a good idea to continue cleaning his wound. The only sign was a nod of the head and it only meant for him to continue. Eren did so, this time gently applying pressure to the cut. Armin winced, but it wasn't as severe as Eren's first try.

"Well yeah. You know me anyway; I have a hard time holding back." Eren recited his words from the previous week. He felt a blush on his cheeks when Armin giggled quietly with a rather adoring smile.

He again tried keeping focus on the cut above Armin's eyebrow, but Armin began staring at him again. It made him blush a little more. He quietly hoped that the lighting in the room was bad enough that Armin wouldn't notice it.

It was sunset so the room was an array of oranges and yellows and reds that could never be reproduced. They were as omnipresent as the sun. The lights in the room were only through the cracks in the curtains to the windows. This left shadows all over the room, especially on the bottom bunks where Armin sat and Eren stood next to.

Eren hoped it would be enough for his blush to be hidden.

"Your face is red..." Armin noted.

_'Shit...'_ Eren mentally cursed.

"Is it?" Eren questioned. "It may just be the lighting in here." He mentally prayed his friend would fall for the lie. "Oh you've got blood in your eyes." Eren added with a contorted laugh.

"Oh..." Armin looked down to his lap. Eren silently sighed in relief when Armin's intensive gaze released his. He could focus better and used that focus to pull the cloth back and look at his cut. Blood was still seeping from it, but it was slower and weaker. It wasn't gushing everywhere like it had been previously. The cut, which he originally thought was longer, was only an inch long and not that deep. Head injuries bleed the worst and he was glad to see how true that was.

"It's looking better." Eren informed. Armin nodded his head and remained quiet. Eren looked down curiously, but decided against asking if anything was wrong.

He didn't have the right to do so anyway.

"Hey Eren..." Armin mumbled. Eren paused from washing the cloth off and looked to Armin. The young boy was still looking down, his blue eyes trained to his hands as his fingers tangled together.

"Yeah," He said in a questioning voice. He couldn't help but bring up the next question. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

Armin looked up at him without moving his head. With his head down a little blood trickled down from the wound, but it stopped at his eyebrow. His eyes were darker from the shadow his hair created, giving him a rather ominous impression. He fidgeted in his spot, his hands tightening their grips on each other as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I've remembered almost everyone now: Mikasa, Jean, Reiner, and Bertholdt... I've even remembered Christa and Ymir and Daz... Why can't I remember you?" He asked quietly. His tone was laced with guilt and pain. He was talking like he was trying to keep a lump of pain down his throat for fear he might cry. He looked up to Eren with hopeful and pleading eyes, begging for an answer.

Eren had none. He looked to the floor and dropped the cloth back in the bucket. A silence stood next to them, leaving the only sounds to be heard from outside where the training grounds and new recruits were. Armin waited for what felt like forever, his head becoming woozy from the lack of blood. He wasn't going to let up though. He wanted an answer.

Eren patted his hands dry with his pants (dirtied from training) and moved to sit next to Armin. He let his elbows rest on his knees as he leaned over in a hunched position. Eren could feel his intense gaze again and shivered. Armin was waiting for something more. Why did he have to stare like that?

"I... I don't really know." Eren said solemnly. "Maybe the part of your brain that remembers me hasn't healed yet..." He suggested.

"Oh. I just thought that, well… Um..." The blond trailed off. Eren looked up at him as Armin looked away. He looked to the bucket of bloody water and then looked to the floor.

"I just thought that... Since Mikasa talks about us so much in the past... Of us being friends and... Of us and our common dream... I thought maybe you would be the first I'd remember instead of Mikasa." He said slowly, almost like he was afraid of admitting the truth.

Eren slowly nodded his head. He could see the reasoning in it, but he could also see the huge holes in the logic. He just hoped that what he said previously was true.

"Mikasa said... That we were almost inseparable." Armin looked to Eren and said. "She said that our parents would sometimes find us hiding in a barn reading an old book or playing like we were soldiers." Armin smiled at the memory that didn't exist to him. It was a nice thing to imagine though. Eren smiled, remembering the times that seemed so long ago.

"Yeah..." He said.

"She said we got in trouble a lot too sometimes because we wouldn't come home on time and it'd be late before we got back... She said... Sometimes we'd read this book a grandfather of mine had... A book about the outside world." Armin looked away as if trying to recall the hazy memory. Eren nodded his head.

"That book is what gave me the idea to go outside of the wall…" Eren mumbled. Armin looked up at him in question as Eren leaned back and propped himself up with his hands. "Well, not the idea. The idea had always been in my head… But you're the one who got me so into it… I never bothered on planning anything for it. All I wanted to do was join the Recon Corps and… Hope I'd get out…"

"But when you told me about the things outside like the burning water or the seas filled with salt… I was suddenly inspired. I wanted to go out more than anything. I wanted to see the world with my own eyes… Anyone who did that would be… _Free_."

"You make it sound like a beautiful dream…" Armin mumbled. Eren looked at him and smiled.

"Like I said, you started it." He laughed a little.

"Maybe… If you tell me what happened before I lost my memories, then maybe it could jog something?" Armin asked hopefully. Eren let out a small and contorted laugh.

"Didn't we do this last week?" He answered with a question.

"Yeah but… I want to remember you, Eren…" Armin reached a hand out and touched Eren's which lied right beside Armin's hip. Eren looked at him with surprise to find Armin's eyes big and begging for answers.

'_He's really serious about this…'_ Eren thought. He sat up a little, his hand rubbing against Armin's before leaving it. _'I should be grateful for that, shouldn't I?'_

"Where should I start?" Eren asked. Armin's eyes lit up with hope and he smiled widely.

"Start from…" Armin looked up at nothing in particular to think. "Start from maybe half an hour before the accident. That should help, right?" He asked. Eren nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright then…"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, short, but the next will be longer, I promise! :D PLEASE REVIEW! Don't just favorite or follow the story. Please review, even if it's a small sentence. XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: See? Much longer chapter. ^_^ Alright! First off, thank you so much for all of those reviews! That was epic! I loved all of the comments and I hope you guys keep writing them up! :D It makes meh happy when ya right! XD**

**Next, for this and the chapters to come (I said this before but I'll say it again XD) it's more like a memory being played back. We're seeing what happened to Armin and what happened after that. Yada ya. Fun stuff. Wee. XD Alright, I think that's it. Enjoy this proper and long chapter.**

**P.S. I didn't check this very well so I'm sorry for any spelling or grammar errors. XD**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin****_****  
Amnesia**

**Chapter 2: The accident that started it all**

* * *

"Listen up, because I won't repeat myself again!" All of the trainees in the Hundred and Fourth Training Corps stood on attention to the voice of their commander, Commander Keith Shadis. They fell into line, doing their best to stand up straight with their arms behind their backs and their heads held up high. The commander was pleased to see them falling into the routine of falling into order rather quickly. They were picking it up faster than the other Training Corps previously had.

None the less, there were still some who had issues with falling into position, but those were the ones who either liked to clown around or were the ones who would soon be sent off to the mines. He could already tell who the clowns were and who the drop outs were. He'd been in this field long enough to tell the difference.

"Since yesterday's training was a complete train wreck," He began, his voice booming with sheer intensity. "We're repeating the whole rotation again. You're to fall back into your groups, separate into your two-man teams and then practice your self-defense." He said. Only a couple of groans were heard from petulant trainees who then received death glares from Shadis. They all quieted down, not ready to die so young.

"Because you wasted not only mine, but everyone else's time yesterday, you'll be skipping lunch today as well." No one was happy about that statement, especially Sasha who had to keep herself from dropping to her knees. To add to the horrifying glare and his ominous presence, he added something more. "Am I clear?" He asked, his voice dropping and a growl lingering in his throat. The soldiers all covered their hearts with their fists and replied.

"Yes sir!" They shouted. Shadis looked to the end of the line, to the front and then did that once more before nodding his head.

"Good. Then I don't need to say anymore. Get going." With that he turned to get out of their way as the cadets broke away from the line to find the groups they were in yesterday. Once he was out of site, the cadets started on with their complaining.

"No lunch; really?" Jean whined. "So we're just supposed to do this all day until dinner?"

"Stop complaining; be grateful he didn't take dinner from us too." Eren warned disparagingly while he tried fixing one of his loose belts. Armin, who had been standing between the two, noticed it and went about helping him, not noticing the odd stare they both got from Jean. He went about it like it was absolutely a normal thing to do.

"He could have done a lot worse than just taking lunch and dinner." Mikasa mumbled. She had been standing next to Sasha, but now she was with them while Sasha was on the ground by her feet, sulking.

"Yeah; he could have taken both and then made us go for a ten mile hike." Armin said. Eren agreed to it and thanked Armin once the strap was fixed. "The way I see it, he's being kind to us today."

"Bite your tongue, Armin!" Sasha cried and gripped the heel of Mikasa's boot.

"It's not like we're missing gourmet meals." Eren added. Jean groaned and dropped his head.

"I didn't need a choir of crap, I just needed to complain." Jean huffed.

"Then go to Marco and do that." Eren looked at him from the corner of his eyes, his green eyes peering with some ugly disinterest in what Jean was saying. Armin tugged at the end of his now tightened strap, silently telling him not to start any trouble so early in the morning. That was all they needed to complete a day without lunch and no breaks.

"How about we just break off into teams and start practicing?" Armin suggested. Mikasa was the first to voice her approval to the idea. Eren followed, and then, reluctantly, Jean did as well.

"Same teams as yesterday?" Eren asked as he pulled Armin by the hip and brought him close with a grin. Armin laughed a small, nervous laugh, but the blush on his face was noticeable, even for some who were further away than the two others. "I don't think he said anything about different teams anyway."

"I have an idea." Mikasa said. "Armin, you be with me today." She said.

"Eh?" Armin looked at her, feeling Eren's grip loosen and seeing Jean frown.

"What, but why?" Eren asked.

"Jean and Eren can be on the same team." Mikasa reached forward to Armin and took his hand in her own. She then pulled him to her side and backed up with him, letting Jean and Eren be close together.

"Why?" Armin asked. Mikasa bent down and pressed her hand against his ear, pushing some of his blond hair away.

"Wouldn't you agree they need to work on teamwork?" Mikasa asked him in a whisper. Armin caught on to the idea quickly and nodded his head, letting out a small hum.

"Oh, I get it." He whispered back. Mikasa let her lips form a very small smile as she stood back.

"Alright, since we're agreed then, let's start." She said.

"Whoa, hey wait a minute! We didn't agree to anything!" Jean yelled.

"Yeah; why can't we work in the teams we were in yesterday?" Eren asked, just as peeved off as Jean. Mikasa simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I-It's a good idea Eren. We could at least try it." Armin mumbled, fearing his friend's reaction to his agreeing with Mikasa. Eren whined and stomped a little, almost like a kid, but he left it at that. He thought that instead of working with Jean, he'll think of it as training with new arms. This will give him the chance to learn different fighting techniques and expand his knowledge.

"Alright, I guess there's no harm in it." He grumbled with his arms crossed over his chest. His childhood friends both smiled at the answer, but Jean was still skeptical. He stepped forward, preparing to fight back with a good and sarcastic rebuttal he thought up while the others were talking, but before he could, Mikasa jumped forward and grabbed his wrist. She pushed down, making him fall to the pain of it and move with it so it would go away. Once on the ground, Mikasa yanked his arm behind his back and pinned him down.

Eren broke out into a supercilious laughter, adding a pointing finger at Jean who looked much like a cow who had been rounded up. He had tears at the edges of his eyes, but soon found himself falling backwards. Armin had locked his arms around his neck and used all of his weight (an easy thing to do when he was smaller) and yanked Eren to the ground. Eren landed with a loud thud and a choked out groan. He gasped, finding it hard to get back the air he had just gotten knocked out of him. Opening his eyes, he could see Armin sitting over him, a worried look on his face. In the distance he could hear Jean break out into laughter as well.

"Look how the mighty have fallen!" He croaked before Mikasa gave a good hard tug on his arm and making him cry out in pain.

"I-I'm sorry, Eren; I thought you were ready!" Armin apologized. Eren waited a moment to catch his breath before reaching forward and throwing his arms over Armin's shoulders. He locked his fingers together and pulled Armin down, rolling so he could be on top and at the advantage.

"I was; I was just letting you get a head start." Eren said with a grin. Armin looked up, startled and surprised all at the same time. He looked like he had been slapped across the face more-less than thrown to the ground by his best friend. None the less he grinned back and laughed.

"Yeah right," Armin scoffed. He tossed his leg over Eren's side and kicked, sending the taller boy off of him. This gave him the chance to scramble to his feet. Once up, he barely had the chance to avoid Eren's fist. He narrowly missed it as it sped right past his stomach. He jumped back, caught his footing and held up his arms as another punch was thrown at him.

Though Armin had never been one good with physical attacks, he excelled in self-defense. His small frame made it hard to hit him, and this also helped him move faster. He was limber, giving him the perfect opportunities to dodge almost everything that came at him. While he had been good at that, one would think he would be good at counterattacks, but that was wrong. It wasn't that he was the worst, that was for sure, but he wasn't the best either.

Eren, on the other hand, was great at both. He wasn't as small in height, but he was just as nimble as Armin. With being good at counterattacks, it gave him the opportunity to dodge each hit and then throw another one back, just as fast. All Armin could do not to get himself hurt was to simply dodge and wait for Eren to burn himself out.

'_That could take a while,'_ He thought as he felt the impact of Eren's fist against his forearm.

Eren wasn't one to run out of steam too early. Even though he didn't look to be fit, he was good at balancing his energy and breathes so he didn't burn himself out too fast.

"Come on, Armin; aren't you going to fight back?" Eren asked after jumping back to avoid anything Armin had to throw at him, which was nothing. Armin saw the distance and paused a moment to roll his shoulders, already feeling the ache in them from Eren's punches. Eren definitely wasn't one for holding back, whether they were practicing or not.

"I am; I'm just warming up." The blond huffed and went after Eren. Eren let Armin's fist go right by his head and grabbed onto it before it could retreat. He yanked back, pulling the smaller boy to him and tossing him to the ground. Armin landed on his back and grunted, getting the air knocked out of him, but he assumed that was a small piece of payback for having knocked Eren over earlier.

Eren climbed on top of him and sat on his stomach, grinning when Armin whined with the lack of air. He pushed down on Armin's chest so the boy couldn't sit up and push him away. After a small struggle, Armin finally gave in.

"Alright, uncle, uncle…!" He called out. Eren snickered and sat up, but he didn't get off of Armin. He thought he'd let the boy suffer a little more. Instead, he turned his head to see how Jean was fairing with Mikasa.

As it was, Jean was still under Mikasa, struggling to at least get his head out from under the boot on her foot. Eren cackled at the sight as he felt Armin sit up from under him.

"You mean you keep getting thrown to the ground, Jean; really?" Eren asked.

"What do you mean _"thrown to the ground?"_ She hasn't let me up!" Jean felt Mikasa push harder against his head and he growled. He may have found Mikasa to be very pretty, but as of right now she was becoming a real pain in the ass. And by real, he meant that her other boot was digging into his thigh just below his butt. She was a _real _pain in his ass, and he was sure she was doing it on purpose.

"Come on, Jean! You're supposed to take this seriously!" Eren laughed some more as Jean struggled under her, but her grip tightened and she pulled his arm back further.

"You wanna switch places with me?" Jean growled at him.

"Nah, I'm good over here." Eren motioned his head to Armin with a grin. Armin was still trying to get his body free from Eren, but Eren wouldn't budge. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Eren's shoulders while Eren was distracted and pulled him down to the ground. He covered Eren's face within his shoulder and held him down, feeling him begin to struggle.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Eren pushed against the ground to break free, but Armin had a vice grip on him. "Let me go!"

"Say uncle!" Armin laughed a little as he spoke, enjoying the sudden switch in rolls. Eren groaned and rolled his eyes, his irritation suddenly falling to humor. He laughed but still struggled, but with Armin keeping his head pinned to his shoulder, he was totally disabled.

In the distance, he swore he could hear Mikasa almost laughing at the sight.

Without thinking first, Eren bit down at the junction of Armin's neck and shoulder. He didn't do it hard, but he still received a yelp of pain from the boy under him. However, Armin's hands only tightened and gripped at his brown hair, aiding in his hold. He still refused to let go.

"Alight, uncle!" Eren released his neck called out. Armin laughed, a little breathless after the struggle and let go of Eren. Even though he was free from his friend's grip, he still chose to lay on the poor boy; his head still resting on Armin's shoulder as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ow…" He whined. "That was a cheap trick." He lifted his head up to see Armin smiling.

"I would think so too, but this is self-defense; wouldn't doing pretty much anything be considered self-defense if it meant keeping you alive?" Armin questioned.

He had a good point, but a childish point at that. The way he thought it was a good thing to bring up, but when training for their future fight with humanity, you had to take it seriously. Sure it was a serious notion, but no one else would think so and no one else would care.

"If the commander thought so I wouldn't be as skeptical, but thinking like that will only get me in trouble." Armin blew off his last statement like it was nothing. He sat up, forcing Eren to do the same and pushed him off. Eren rolled off of him and sat on his butt, his legs spread out in the dirt as his eyes wandered back to Mikasa and Jean. Jean was still under her boot and still couldn't get up. "You know the point of this exercise it to build teamwork. You're supposed to help Jean out and he's supposed to help you."

"Well, I would but…" Ere trailed off when Jean tried kicking Mikasa with a free leg; this resulted in something in his arm popping when she gave a good hard yank. "I'd rather not fight Mikasa, to be honest." Eren looked to Armin with a smug grin as the boy lost his attention on him and focused on the scene in front of them. That smug look on his face turned into a more playful look as he jumped from his spot and pushed Armin to the ground. "Round two!" He yelled and stood up.

Armin had another surprised and dazed look on his face as he looked up to Eren. He smiled in a playful manner, much like Eren, and stood up before the boy could trap him in the dirt again. He held him arms up, reading to defend himself as Eren went at him.

From the distance, while Mikasa held Jean down, she watched the two fight each other. It brought a smile to her face to see them act so playfully. Sure, it was supposed to be taken seriously, but the two used to play pretend and play soldiers when they were younger. It was almost like they were doing it again, but at an older age and it was for real. It made her happy to see it.

"Come on, my arm is going numb!" Jean complained. Mikasa looked down at him and sighed in defeat. With a bored expression she finally released his wrist and stood up to stretch her arms above her head. She sighed as her muscles stretched and closed her eyes to give her tired eyes a break. She knew Jean wouldn't try anything with her after being imbedded into the ground for five to ten minutes, so she knew it was safe to relax a little.

"Come on, Armin; throw a punch already!" Mikasa looked over to them again to see them trying the best at blocking punches.

No surprise to her, Armin was doing well at avoiding Eren's hits with his arms, but there only so many times he could do that before it started to hurt, and with the way Eren hit, it was more than likely setting in now. She looked to Armin's face to see him wince with each punch against him. She was right, it was already hurting.

With Eren's next punch he ducked, avoiding the impact entirely. Each punch was avoided and each time he ducked had Eren catching the idea quickly. He soon switched to using his legs, trying to get Armin to think quicker. Armin started blocking with his shoulders, but that hurt too, even quicker than his own hands. He began trying to avoid the kicks too.

Armin was already breathless by the time Eren finally let up on him. His arms were battered and he was sure he was going to feel it tomorrow, along with seeing a few bruises along his arms and shoulders. Seeing Eren finally relax, he did the same, dropping his heavy arms and falling over his knees to breathe. Eren patted his friend's back, a small laugh leaving him when Armin groaned.

"I'm not very good at holding back." Eren said with a funny grin and tone.

"I would know…" Armin mumbled. Eren laughed again and rubbed his own hand, filling a little sting from his own punches.

"Why don't you try hitting me now? I'll hold back this time and I'll give you a chance to practice." Eren suggested. Armin slowly stood back up and nodded his head. He rubbed his forehead which was starting to collect sweat from the heat and sighed. So early in the morning and he was already getting a workout. It was going to be a long day.

"Alright, let's give it a try." He said. Eren nodded and walked backwards a few paces to give Armin the space he needed to get ready. Armin waited a moment to collect his thoughts and air and once done he held up his arms again. "Ready?" He asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Eren held up his own arms, getting ready to prepare for what Armin had to give him. Armin nodded his head, sucked in a mouthful of air and charged forward.

It was no surprise to him that Eren would block his attack. It was a simple punch near the head and Eren avoided it easily. What really surprised him was how Eren pushed his first away from him after he hit him. It didn't really occur to him that he could someone's arm away in midair, but at the same time it left and opening for him to take. He threw another deliberate punch near his head and when Eren pushed his arm away, it left another opening near Eren's chest. Armin was swift to try and hit him, but Eren was faster.

Eren saw the move coming and avoided it by ducking, similar to what Armin had. What happened next, though, he didn't intend to do. Once he ducked, his leg went out from under his body to kick Armin's calves. Armin's legs gave out from under him and he fell backwards, not having the time to catch himself. Armin landed on his back, getting the air knocked out of him, his head hitting the hard ground with a loud thud that made Eren shiver when he realized what it was he did.

"Armin!" He swiftly moved to his friend to help him. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" Armin was clasping onto the back of his head and curling up into a ball, but at the same time trying to sit up. There were tears at the corners of his eyes though; something was wrong.

"What happened?" Mikasa and Jean joined them upon hearing Eren's panic.

"I knocked him over, but I-" Eren lifted Armin into his arms while talking. He stopped midsentence when pulling Armin's hands back and seeing blood on them, slipping between his pale fingers and onto the ground from where the impact was. Armin whined and covered his head again, but the color was dropping from his skin so fast it was frightening. Eren's face went pale, much like the color of Armin's own face.

"Eren, calm down." Mikasa took Eren's hand and pulled it from his sight so Eren could focus on what was more important. She then went to move Armin's hands so she could see his injury; he protested, but she assured him that she needed to see his wound and make sure nothing was broken, like his skull. Armin agreed hesitantly, his hands moving away slowly and showing the profound amount of blood that stained them and his hair. Eren swallowed down the painful lump rising in his throat at the sight of it.

"Armin, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it." Eren apologized while tightening his grip around the boy.

"I-It's okay, I know you didn't do it on purpose." Armin gave him a weak smile a Mikasa began to inspect the back of his head. She was quiet, but the small frown that formed on her lips only made them more anxious. "How bad is it, doctor?" Armin gave a small laugh when Mikasa sat back.

"It's going to need a few stitches." She said. Armin whined in more protest, but stopped when Mikasa gave him a rather stern glance.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes. It's small in length, but it's deep. Nothing looks to be broken though." Mikasa assured.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry, Armin." Eren continued. Armin swatted at his hand playfully and laughed while trying to stand up.

"I told you, it's alright. I know you didn't mean it." He said. Eren grabbed a hold of Armin's arm and pulled him to stand on his feet. Armin steadied himself by leaning against Eren and Eren let him do so. That was the least he could do.

"Are you going to be okay walking?" Jean asked when Armin wobbled a little.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine." His voice trailed off as he staggered. Armin touched his forehead, mindless of the blood still dripping off of his hands.

"Armin, let me carry you. You shouldn't be walking after that." Eren suggested. Armin shook his head, but only a little before falling backwards. Eren caught him before he could hit the ground again, but this time he knew what was going on. He knew Armin had just passed out in his arms. He called out Armin's name and shook his friend, but the boy was out cold.

"Did he pass out?" Jean asked, his voice stricken with panic. Eren nodded his head and scooped up the rest of his friend into his arms for a better hold on him.

"Let's get him to the infirmary." Mikasa tucked Armin's arms onto his chest and said. Eren nodded and was the first to start running for the infirmary. Even with holding the smaller boy, he didn't slow down or trip over his own two feet. He was desperate to help his friend.

The wave of guilt washing over him was unimaginable. He never wanted to feel this way again.

* * *

**A/N: Don't forget to review! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I just realized how hard it is for me to write anything small. XD Anyway, yay chapter three~ ... I had something important to say to you people but I forgot~ X'D Ah, what's that thing called when you can't remember something...? ... Minus amnesia. XD I had that joke with my mom. We enjoy it too much. Okay, done rambling. XD**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin****_****  
Amnesia**

**Chapter 3: Left Out of the Light**

* * *

"Yeah, it's going to need some stitches." The doctor who had been examining Armin's wound sat back in his chair and took off his gloves while speaking. He tossed them away into a trash bin nearby and stood up to get what would be needed for giving the injured boy help.

"Is it bad?" Mikasa asked. She looked down to Armin's unconscious form, watching with a small amount of unknown guilt as her brother rubbed the back of Armin's hand with his index and middle fingers.

"Not really. It's deep but not long. I'm only putting a few stitches as an extra measure. I want to keep dirt out of it." The doctor explained.

As he talked, he had collected the necessary tools that would be needed for the procedure. Eren had finally pried his eyes off of Armin long enough to see the doctor pass by with his tray of tools. His eyes widened and his face went pale, but whether he went pale from the guilt or the sight of the knives in his hands was unknown.

"I already gave him medicine so he won't feel a thing." The doctor set the tray down on a small table by the bed and once again put new and sterile gloves on. There was a small snap against each of his wrists when he pulled them on and then checked to make sure blood wouldn't get anywhere on his white coat. He used his arm to make sure his glasses didn't fall off of the bridge of his nose and then picked up one of the tools lying near him.

Eren was watching with wide eyes, his pupils barely dilated as he prepared himself mentally for what he was about to witness. His felt his heart pumping within his chest, aching painful with each beat. It was starting to beat so fast that it was starting to hurt. He wasn't sure if should have asked the doctor for some medicine to make it stop, but he didn't have the time to do it. Mikasa took Eren's hand in her own and pulled him from his seat, not even stopping when he nearly fell to the floor. She kept pulling until he got to his feet, inevitably following her.

"Mikasa-"

"Come on, Eren. Let the doctor do his job." She said without turning to look at him.

"N-No, I can't. I have to stay with Armin-" Eren looked over his shoulder to his friend, wanting to stop Mikasa from taking him away, but as he did he saw the doctor already pulling a needle through Armin's skin. It made Eren want to vomit at the sight.

The door shut behind him by Mikasa, who let out a small sigh. When seeing the color missing from his skin, Mikasa assumed it was safe to release him. She was sure that whatever he saw had petrified him enough to not go back it.

She walked away from him to take a spot on the bench outside the door. It was a wooden bench, but after the small rush of adrenaline she felt tired and fatigued. She sat down, relishing in the moment of quiet and slow time. Now all they had to do was wait until the doctor was done, but waiting was something Eren wasn't good at.

When not being held by Mikasa, he was pacing back and forth across the floor, his arms crossed over his chest and a hand up to his lips to bite on his knuckles. His green eyes were staring at the floor as if it had answers, then up to the ceiling, then down the hall, then pretty much nowhere. Mikasa could hear his uneven and raged breathing from where she sat. She watched him for a few minutes, watching him start to unravel.

"Eren, you're wearing a hole into the floor." Mikasa mumbled. It had been her attempt at a joke to calm him down, but he didn't even seem to hear her. He kept walking back and forth, his arms starting to shake from the amount of pressure he had in his hands while they clutched into fists. She sighed; there wasn't much she could do or say at this point that could make him feel any better.

The only thing that could make him feel better at this point were actions, and actions he took. After another few more laps of pacing, he walked over to the nearest wall and sent his fist right into it. Being pure oak wood, it didn't budge an inch, but Mikasa could swear she heard something crack within his own hand.

"Shit!" He cursed. When the pain in his fist finally materialized and made itself more important in his head, Eren cradled his injured hand into the other, slid against the slightly dented wall and fell to the floor. "Shit…" Mikasa left her spot on the bench and quickly joined him. She pulled his hand into her own and looked at it, seeing the torn skin on his knuckles and the redness around them. Something was crooked under his skin and her stomach flipped within her at the sight.

She carefully rubbed the back of his hand, hearing him hiss as she pressed down a little to feel the broken bones under the skin. She blanched to the feeling of it; something like this made even _her _a little queasy.

"Eren, what exactly was that supposed to do?" She asked quietly. He didn't answer her. He only kept his head down so he didn't have to look at her. "Was that supposed to help the situation somehow?" She asked. He knew he wasn't going to get away without answering something for her.

"No…" He begrudgingly mumbled. He didn't want to admit it, but it was true.

"Do you think Armin would have wanted you to do that for him? Do you think he would have wanted to see that?" She continued to ask. Eren clenched his teeth together; he didn't want to answer that one. "Well?" She began to provoke a little more.

"No…" He hissed through his teeth.

"Then why did you do it?" She asked him. Eren decided that this time he wouldn't answer, but he then decided against it when Mikasa pushed a little _too hard_ on his injured hand. He yelped in pain and looked up, seeing her very serious face that showed that she didn't want to play his childish games. Eren looked away, frowning at the aspect of it. "Did you do it as a punishment for what happened?"

"… I guess." He mumbled.

"I didn't hear you." She repeated the motion and flicked her thumb against his hand. He cringed in pain.

"I-I said I guess." He repeated a little louder. Mikasa frowned at him; obviously he didn't get what she was doing.

"I still can't hear you." She did it again, this time harder.

"Alright, yes, yes; I did it as a punishment!" Eren yanked his hand back away from her so she could stop the torture. Mikasa released him without much force though; that was all the answers she needed. Eren cradled his hand against his chest, feeling a serious sting from Mikasa's interrogating questions. He looked away again, feeling his cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. His sister was doing it again; she was treating him like a two year old. Of course, no one would push on a two year olds broken hand.

"Eren, you shouldn't punish yourself for a simple accident." Mikasa reprimanded.

"_Simple?"_ Eren clicked his tongue at the word. "This isn't some _"simple"_ accident. I hurt him. He needs stitches because of me. For all I know he could have a concussion." Eren mumbled.

"Eren, it was an accident. People get hurt here every day and all of those injuries are accidents too. Armin could have lost a leg or an arm and-"

"You aren't helping." Eren grumbled. Mikasa pulled Eren's injured hand back into hers, but she didn't push on it or do anything to hurt him. All she did was rub the back of his hand soothingly.

"Armin said so himself; he knew it was an accident and he knew you didn't do it on purpose." Eren looked up at her, his bangs falling slightly into his eyes to cover up the redness. He felt like he was about to cry. "He knew it, Eren. He wouldn't want you hurting yourself because of something like this."

"… I'm sorry…" He mumbled. Mikasa looked away from his hand and up at him to see the first of his tears fall and then the others follow it. She felt more guilt over something unknowing and pulled her brother into her waiting arms. His head fell onto her shoulder as he let out small, tiny sobs that he tried to hold back. All that did was make his body shake with frustration.

"His wounds will heal, Eren. It won't be long before he's as healthy as he once was and standing by our sides." She whispered in his ear. Eren couldn't do anything else but to nod his head to show he understood her. She was right in so many ways, but just because she was right didn't mean the pain would go away.

He had hurt his childhood friend, someone he would never wish any pain on at any time in his life. To be the one who not only hurt him but then not be able to do anything to help him made him feel so useless, like he was just a tool. No, at least a tool was used at some points. He felt like dirt underneath someone's feet, probably the dirt on the training field that had Armin's blood now smeared on it. At least dirt couldn't hurt him. Only people could hurt people.

"Eren, look at me please." Mikasa demanded in a soft tone. Eren lifted his head from her shoulder, her black hair sticking to his forehead a little, and looked at her. This only exposed the truth of his crying; his eyes were red and slightly swollen and his cheeks were stained with paths of tears. Mikasa ran her thumbs across his cheeks and wiped away the tears, a small but rare smile gracing her thin lips. "It'll be okay, Eren. I promise." She said.

Eren smiled and took her hand into his good one. He held it against her cheek for a moment, enjoying the comforting sensation it gave her. She normally was so apathetic to things, but there were times, _rare_ times, when she would relax enough to show her human side. It was nice, especially when he needed someone to comfort him. It wasn't like he had anyone else at the moment anyway.

"I'm going to go tell the doctor about your hand. He'll have to take care of it when he's done with Armin." She said. Eren nodded and let go of her hand so she could do just that. She left him alone in the hallway for a moment to go into the room and Eren didn't bother to try and glance into the room to see what was going on. He knew if he did and he saw something he didn't like he'd probably fall apart all over again.

The door shut behind Mikasa and it gave him the chance to breathe. He let out heavy, loud and somewhat obnoxious breathes, but that was the only thing that could slow down his insane pulse, and it worked. After a few seconds it helped. It was still a little too fast for comfort, but it didn't feel like it was going to pound out of his mouth through his throat anymore. It helped him just before Mikasa came out from the room.

"Hey, he's done with Armin's stitches." She said. Eren nodded his head and stood up from the dirty floor. He wiped the back of his pants off with his good hand and joined Mikasa in the room. The doctor was just cleaning up and pulled his gloves off, his gloves which were covered in Armin's blood. Eren swallowed down a sick wave of guilt before turning his attention to his friend.

Armin was still lying on his back, but now a thin blanket was draped over his small body. His head was turned to the side so it didn't rest on the stitches and around his head was some ace wrap to keep the elements out. His bangs were pushed out of his face by the bandage, some tucked under it as well but ultimately still out of the way. His skin was pale, but it wasn't as pale as before when he had gotten the wind knocked out of him. He looked so sickly, though. Eren didn't like seeing his friend so… Defeated.

He couldn't think of a better word to describe how his friend looked.

"What'd ya do, trip and fall?" The doctor asked as he stood up from his chair. It took Eren a moment to realize what the doctor was referring too, but when he understood him, he covered his injury by hiding it behind his back.

"Uh… Yeah. I'm a little clumsy." Eren lied.

Mikasa had walked over to the bed Armin was in and sat down in the chair the doctor was previously in. She reached a tentative hand out and brushed her soft fingers against his equally soft cheek, but doing it gently so she didn't wake him. His pale skin was dim in the late morning light seeping in through the curtains of the window above his bed. It was in this light that Armin looked the sickest, but despite how sick he looked, he still looked quite peaceful in his sleep.

All while she sat and looked at her friend, the doctor helped Eren. She wouldn't disagreed with anyone if they said that the blood curdling scream from Eren having his bones reset and put back into place didn't make her want to faint. He had done a real number on himself and now he was paying the price for it. It almost surprised Mikasa that his scream didn't wake up Armin in his drug-induced sleep or alert the other cadets on the training field.

After ten minutes of Eren having to endure the pain, however, it was over. He had fallen into shock, so most of his body was numb to the after-effects of the pain. His body was cold, but he had gotten a cold sweat from it. He too was now as pale as Armin was. He pulled up another chair and sat down on the opposite side of the bed, his arm now pulled to his chest of its own will so the pain would stop.

Eren laid his head down on the edge of the bed by Armin's free hand. His good hand didn't think twice about it and took Armin's hand carefully. The sensation of Armin's warm body was nice, especially against his own cold and clammy skin.

"Are you okay, Eren?" Mikasa finally asked. It had taken her a couple of minutes to overcome the wooziness she felt, but once it was gone she was able to speak without the feeling of vomiting on something. Eren's answer was a nod of the head and a sigh to gather himself.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He mumbled a little distractedly. His eyes were on Armin's sleeping face which was directed towards him and he didn't want to stop looking. The doctor was behind him soon though with a paper cup filled with cold water and a pill in between his fingers.

"Here, this will help with the pain." He said. Eren took the pill quickly and didn't bother to use the water to help swallow it. He swallowed it dry and then took the water from the doctor to help the slight sting from the pill sliding down his throat. He mumbled a small "thank you" as the doctor walked away; pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Was his hand in bad condition?" Mikasa asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, for the most part. His middle metacarpal and phalange were broken so I had to reset them, but they'll be better in no time." The doctor waved his hand, or rather swatted his hand, and dismissed himself without another word. Eren pretended to know what the doctor was saying and closed his eyes. His eyes were heavy and he felt so tired, like he hadn't slept in ages. He wanted to close his eyes, even just for a moment.

"I'm going to go tell Shadis about your situation." The doctor said. Mikasa and Eren both saw the small grin on his face, as if taking pleasure from ruining their commander's day, but they chose to ignore it. He left and that left them alone in the room, giving them the chance to breathe. Eren rotated his head back to Armin's direction and sighed, letting his fatigue wash over him slowly.

"You can go back if you want. It looks like I'm stuck here for a while anyway." Eren mumbled.

"I'll go if you go." Mikasa said.

"You're going to get in trouble, Mikasa." Eren warned, his voice too tired to sound serious in any manner.

"It doesn't matter. Someone needs to be here to watch over you two." Mikasa stood up from her chair and walked across the room to a cabinet against the wall. She opened it and pulled out a couple of blankets. After closing it she went back to her friend and brother where she placed a blanket over Eren's shoulders and the other over Armin's first thin blanket.

"Thanks…" Eren mumbled. Mikasa patted his back, watching as her brother started to doze off already. Eren still had a firm hold on Armin's hand, and firm it stayed. He never let go, even after the first hour of sleep. The doctor had come back into the room with another patient, more specifically Connie, but Mikasa motioned for them both to be quiet with a finger raised to her lips and a "shush". She didn't want either of her friends waking up.

"H-Hey, what happened to them? What happened to _Armin_?" Connie asked, mindful of his voice as he stared at the too. Armin was more frightening to look at then Eren, so it was obvious why he was the one pointed out the most.

"Just a training accident." Mikasa mumbled. She looked up from the medical book in her hands and saw Connie standing by Eren, a large bruise across his forehead. "What happened to you?" She asked while closing her book.

"Ah, this?" Connie asked and pointed to the injury to his head. Mikasa nodded to show that, that was what she was referring to. "Oh well, Sasha and I were kind of goofing off and the commander kind of came after me with his belt." Connie let out a timid laugh while rubbing the back of his neck. "Those metal rods sticking out of the belts hurt, ya know?" He joked.

Mikasa noted the small red marks to the backs of his hands too. Obviously he was hear for some painkillers and ice, but wasn't he in the infirmary every week with the same injury? She had lost count of the amount of times he had gotten picked up, thrown, or beaten to a pulp by Shadis, and that was just the first week they started. It had been four years already and still they were up to the same old antics.

Mikasa decided not to question him anymore. She really wasn't all too interested, and honestly the book she was reading, a book of all two-hundred and six bones in the body and reproductive organs and just about anything else on the human body, was more interesting than what he had to say. She picked up her book and went back to reading it, but since she had been previously skimming through it, she was left off a little confused. She began to read, but Connie's voice brought her back and alerted her to something.

"Hey, look who's awake." He said. Mikasa's eyes peeked up from her book to see Armin shifting in his spot. She quickly shut the book and stood up, careless as to where it fell. She pushed Connie out of the way and stood in his place, her hand reaching out to touch Armin's cheek. The boy's eyes winced before opening, but then shut again to the light shining down on them.

"Armin," She whispered. She looked down to Eren who was still asleep and unaware of what was happening right in front of him. She wondered if she should wake him up so he could see that Armin was okay and alive, but then decided against it. He looked as if he needed to sleep a little longer. She went back to looking at Armin who was looking at her through barely open eye lids. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Mikasa…" He murmured. His voice was terribly scratchy and sounded drained of energy. The sound of it made Mikasa flinch and reconsider her previous words.

"Shh, it's okay. You don't need to talk, you just need to rest." She said while rubbing his cheek gently. His eyes opened a little more and looked around until he found Eren sleeping by his side. His blue eyes stared for a moment, trying to focus and find out what was going on until it registered in his head. A small smile formed on his pale lips while his hand shuffled within Eren's, trying to hold onto him.

The sight in itself was just too tender too look at and Mikasa thought that she should probably give him privacy, but it was so tender that she didn't want to look away. It didn't matter soon though, because Armin was already dozing off again. Mikasa stood up straight and went back to her chair so she could let Armin sleep. Connie was already aware of what was going on (surprising Mikasa since he normally didn't catch on too quick) and went back to the doctor who was calling for him. After receiving his medicine he left, and now it was just the three teens and the doctor.

He didn't have much to say about Mikasa being there. He didn't care much and she didn't talk at all, so it was like she wasn't there. As it stood he had too many people to deal with today. One trainee came in with a broken arm, another with two teeth that had been knocked out. One person had come in with a severe gash down their leg. The poor girl had gotten hurt while practicing with the titan dummies and one of her blades had gotten embedded into her leg. She was quickly pulled into another room so her screams of pain and agony wouldn't awaken the two boys' or disturb three other people in the room with minor injuries.

After all of that and finally the day had come to an end. The doctor had returned with his white coat stained in blood and dirt and was "_dirt_" tired, with no pun intended. He pulled his glasses off of his nose and rubbed the bridge between his eyes. He looked up to Mikasa, watching as she still continued to read. She hadn't stopped reading since Connie left, and if she did, she did it for only a millisecond, probably to see who was coming into the room.

She was at least half way through the book by now, if not a little further, and it wasn't like it was a small book either. It was a thick book, just breaking five hundred pages. To have the patience to read a book like _that_ for _that_ long, he wasn't even sure he could do it himself.

"Ackerman." He said, his voice stern. Mikasa looked up from her book again, but didn't voice a response. "You've got to at least be hungry. Go eat something, dinner is already being served." He said.

"I'm fine like this." She mumbled and stuck her nose back into the book.

"You can't starve yourself because they're here. They'll be fine for half an hour or so, so you can go eat." He said. "Besides, I won't let you stay here." He added.

Mikasa seemed to glare at him from under the pages of the medical book, but she knew she had no choice. She didn't have much of a choice, and she thought this way maybe she could sneak some food for the two boys when they woke up. Besides, she was a little hungry. Her poor mind needed a break. She sighed, closed the book and set it by the bedside table. She stretched her arms up and over her head to wake up a little, realizing she was terribly tired from reading all day. Her eyes felt heavy, but she carried on and went to the door where the doctor was already walking out from.

"Are you leaving?" She asked, the first words out of her mouth in half the day.

"Yes, I'm hungry too." The doctor said.

"What about Eren and Armin?" Mikasa asked, feeling slightly offended by him trying to leave.

"Like I said, they'll be fine for half an hour while we go eat. Anyway, I am only going to go get my food and come back. Nothing will happen." He assured her and was already out of the door and walking down the hallway before Mikasa finally gave in and did the same. She looked back one more time at the boys, giving one last and small smile before turning and leaving.

She shut the door quietly, so quietly that a pen dropping would be louder than the door, but for some reason, the door shutting was what startled Eren awake. It wasn't their talking or the screams of pain from earlier, hell; it wasn't even the incessant cricket sitting outside on the window sill. No, it was the door shutting.

He didn't startle awake like someone would had someone poured cold water on them, his muscles only flexed a bit and his eyes opened like he had awoken from a terrible nightmare. His field of vision was blurry, but after a few seconds of being patient it cleared. It was then that he realized how dark it was; nothing was lighting up the room but the oil lamp on the doctors desk, and it wasn't much light. The little light from the flame was lighting up only a portion of where he was, and that was sitting by Armin. He could only see a bit of Armin's face in the dark, but he was completely mesmerized by it.

It didn't take him long for him to remember what happened hours before, but he felt a little better after his nap (and after punching out the wall in the hallway). He looked to his hand and rolled his wrist around, noticing there wasn't any pain. He then dared to try flexing the muscles in his middle finger.

No pain. In fact, it felt completely healed. He let go of Armin's hand (which had become sweaty from the hours of being locked within Eren's) and touched the back of his hand. Nothing felt out of place and everything else felt fine. Either those were incredible painkillers or he was completely healed.

'_Wow, the doctor is getting good at this…'_ He thought tiredly. He looked at Armin's sleeping form which was now a little disheveled from sleeping so long. His color had returned; even in the dim lighting Eren could see it. His breathing was back to a normal pace and his chest rose and fell calmly. Eren smiled weakly, still feeling guilty but overall better.

He reached forward and touched Armin's cheek, unaware that it was his previously injured hand that did this. His fingers brushed against his skin while Armin's blond hair tickled his fingers. His cheek was soft and warm all at the same time and Eren thought it wouldn't be too bad if he kept on doing it a little more. It wasn't like Armin would ever complain about it, and if he were to, he was asleep. What complaining could he possibly do?

Just as that crossed his mind, as if the gods loved to prove him wrong, Armin's eyes slowly fluttered open. His eye lashes brushed against Eren's hand, making him suddenly aware of the fact that his friend was awake. He yanked his hand away quickly, afraid that Armin would somehow protest to it. Why had he gotten the idea into his head in the first place?

Eren sat up from his chair and leaned over the bed slightly, keeping his distance but examining Armin all the same. Armin was looking at nothing in particular, his eyes dazed and confused. He blinked a few more times, trying to get rid of said problem while he moved his head around. As soon as the pillow beneath his head touched his stitches he winced in pain.

"D-Don't, you don't want to aggravate your wound." Eren said. Armin looked up at him, his eyes finally coming into focus. Eren smiled at him, something that was a normal gesture between the two at any given time, but this time Armin seemed confused and a little… unnerved? Eren couldn't seem to put a word to the expression on Armin's face.

"Are you okay?" Eren asked. Armin looked around a little, as if looking for someone else before nodding his head.

"I… I think so…" He mumbled. Eren frowned at the tone of his voice.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. Armin did another side-swipe look before looking at Eren again. He seemed even more confused than before. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, almost falling backwards immediately when his heavy head nearly brought him down. Eren placed a hand on his back and helped him into a sitting position.

All the while, while Eren was touching him he didn't seem to like it. He was fidgeting in his hold and when Eren let go he finally stopped. Eren tilted his head, wondering why Armin was acting so strangely.

"Armin, what's wrong?" Eren asked, trying to get a response from him. Armin looked at his hands in his lap and then up to Eren. His eyebrows furrowed with more confusion. "Armin…?"

"You… Who are you?" Armin asked.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ehehe, I reember what I wanted to say for the last chapter. If any of you are wondering about this jackass doctor I keep writing about (he was in my other fanfic "Desires" too.) you should know who it is I'm referencing him from. You see, there's a Korean drama I love called "To The Beautiful You," which is based off of a Japanese Manga which also has a Japanese live action. (I have a fanfiction based off it too, ahahah XD) There's a doctor in the show who is just... Odd. He's not the same as the doctor in my story (who will never get a name because I am ashamed of him XD) but if you wanna know what he looks like, here ya go:**

2012/08/17/to-the-beautiful-you-episode-02-zombie- recap/beautiful_you_ep02_0247/

**So this is what I'm picturing when I write about the doctor. Doesn't he look... Stupid? XD Okay nah~ The general actor and the character himself from the show is awesome, but my version isn't. So there's that and Yay~ More reviews! Remember! Don't just favorite or follow something! Review it too~**

**-Misty**

**P.S. I don't know whose website that is, but that's just the doctor.**

**P.S.S. Song of the day since I haven't done one in forever:**

** watch?v=xF0cmvdQVb4  
**

**Alright, now I'm done. XD**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

******Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 4: Tell Me a Tale**

* * *

The dining hall was filled to the brim with all of the young cadets, all who were starving from such a long, mind numbing day. Without their lunches to perk their spirits they were famished and fatigued. Their faces hung low and their heads hung lower. The promise of food was the only thing that got them to get up from their tables. It was the only thing that promised them life and not the death they were so hopefully begging for hours before while training.

The line was long, but thankfully Mikasa had gotten a rather good spot in line. She had followed the doctor who purposely left a little early in promise of more food. He willingly let Mikasa follow, and just after they got into the dining hall they rest of the hundred and fourth Training Corps followed.

Mikasa truly hated being alone in this room without Eren or Armin to be there with her. People were pushy and blunt, especially when they were hungry. It made her want to bark at them, but she kept collected. She decided to simply grab her food and find a table to sit at. Without Eren and Armin she would be left alone with Jean and Marco. She didn't mind Marco at all, in fact, he had some very fun stories to tell that sometimes got a small chuckle out of her, but it was Jean who always bugged her.

She didn't necessarily _hate_ the comments, but she didn't _like_ them either. And if she wasn't into it, then she just really didn't care. That's why she sat with Eren and Armin more than others, because she was comfortable around them. That and she vowed never to leave Eren's side. The only reason she did now was to get food for herself and sneak some from her friends, and that's exactly what she did.

People were so busy with their own food that they didn't see her sneak a piece of bread into the pocket of her jacket. Unfortunately, there was a pair of eyes on her that were more than surprised by the act.

"You could get in trouble for that." The childish voice spoke. Mikasa looked up and then then down to the girl who was much shorter than her. Her blond hair was pulled back into a pony tail and her blue eyes, a very similar color to Armin's, were the most striking feature on her face.

"I didn't see you there, Christa." Mikasa murmured and then cursed in her head. She frowned at getting caught and just as she was about to reach into her coat pocket for the bread she took, Christa spoke again.

"I won't tell anyone." She said. Mikasa looked at her, prompting more of a response. "Only if you tell me why you're taking it," She added.

Mikasa thought about the pros and cons to telling Christa the real reason. It wasn't like she was a person who loved to gossip. That was a good thing, but she was so nice, almost too nice. Could she ever use this against Mikasa? That seemed very highly unlikely. She never even talked about using Sasha after she helped her on the first day there four years ago.

"If you're really hungry I'm not sure I should let you. We should all have our fair share." Christa stated.

"That's not it." Mikasa mumbled. Now she knew she didn't have much of a choice. If she didn't tell Christa the real reason, she'd assume she'd tell someone a false accusation. "Eren and Armin are still in the infirmary. I wanted to get them something too." Mikasa finally said.

"Oh, I see." Christa nodded her head, truly getting what Mikasa was doing. Mikasa turned her head away, but she looked from the corner of her eye at Christa as she started looking around at the other people around them. What was the little girl planning on doing? Her questions were answered when Christa quickly took the piece of bread from her tray and stuffed it in her jacket pocket. Once she did that, she took another loaf of bread from the food line and placed it on her tray.

"What are you doing?" Mikasa asked.

"Well that bread you took isn't going to feed both Eren and Armin. I should go visit them too since I haven't done it already." She said with a smile. Mikasa felt a small smile linger in her jaw. Christa really was a kind soul.

"You're both gonna get yourselves into trouble." A voice said behind them. Mikasa had to turn around to see who it was speaking to them, but Christa visibly jumped, the voice all too familiar to her. Behind them stood Ymir with her arms crossed over her chest and a frown on her lips, and she did _not_ look happy.

"It's only for Eren and Armin." Christa said in almost a whining tone.

"I don't care." Ymir uncrossed her arms and stalked over to where the two girls stood in line. "Christa, haven't I told you that getting favors from people is better than giving?" She asked while her arms lazily wrapped around Christa's waist. Her hand slipped up Christa's jacket and poked at the bread in her inner breast pocket.

"Yes, but these are our friends." Christa tried to get Ymir's hands off of her, but Ymir was quite forceful to her. Mikasa was cringing at the sight and to Ymir's words.

"Ah, what a sweetheart you are. Someday you're going to be my wife; I'll make sure of it." Ymir rubbed her cheek over Christa's head, ruining her hair as she spoke. Mikasa sighed as rolled her eyes at the same time as Christa did from Ymir's words. She left the line with her food and the bread in her pocket and went over to the table where Marco was already sitting, leaving the two girls to themselves. She sat at her usual spot at the table and placed her food down.

"Hey, Mikasa," Marco greeted. Mikasa nodded her head to him, but she didn't feel like talking much anymore. "Jean said Armin got hurt today. Is he alright?" He asked.

"He had to get a few stitches, but he's okay." Mikasa mumbled as she started drinking the soup she was given.

"Oh man. It wasn't too serious, was it?" Marco asked. He had completely forgotten about his food and now was enthralled by whatever Mikasa had to say. He was leaning over the edge of the table with his hands together on the old wood.

"No. I don't know how many stitches it took but the doctor said it was small. He should be back to training in a couple of days." Mikasa stated. Marco nodded his head and as he did Jean was finally leaving the line. He joined the two at the table, sitting next to Marco and gazing at Mikasa.

"Wait, where is Eren then?" Marco asked.

"He hurt his hand earlier so he is staying there and keeping Armin company." Mikasa explained.

"Wait, how did Eren hurt his hand?" Jean jumped into the conversation by asking.

"He was swatting at a fly." She answered. Jean and Marco gave her an odd her, looked to each other, and then looked back to her. When she didn't say anymore, like why or how exactly his hand got her, the two left it alone.

"… Alright," Marco mumbled. Jean kept silent and began eating his food. Marco soon followed, finally out of questions. Mikasa sighed quietly to herself, happy that she could just be quiet and eat. The quicker she finished, the faster she could get back to her friends.

Just as she picked up her spoon and tried to eat, the dining room door was slammed open. Mikasa didn't bother to turn around to see who it was, mainly because she really didn't care much, but her attention was grabbed by a familiar voice.

"Mikasa!" She turned her head to see Eren pacing towards her. She opened her mouth to question him, but just as Eren got there, he grabbed her by the wrist and tore her from her seat. The tray had been in her hand and went crashing down to the floor, her soup spilling and the bread falling into the mess.

"E-Eren, what's wrong?" She asked as he dragged her out of the room. In the hallway, his grip loosened, giving Mikasa the chance to break free. She pulled her arm out of his hand and stopped and without her following Eren stopped. She watched as he started pacing again, but he was even more frantic than when they were waiting for the doctor to finish with Armin. She didn't even seem to notice that his hand was perfectly healed.

His hands were tangled in his hair as he quickly paced back and forth in the hall. His breathing was uneven and his eyes were wide. When he pulled his hands away to bite on his knuckles again, his fingers were visibly shaking.

"Eren, what's going on?" Mikasa asked. Eren started shaking his head, opening and closing his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Mikasa walked up to him and stopped him from pacing, holding him in her arms so he couldn't escape. He looked up with surprised eyes, but when her black eyes could look into his green eyes, she could see the obvious fear hidden away. He fell apart and dropped his head down onto her shoulder. He took heavy breaths and tried to calm down, but it was obviously not working.

At this point, a couple of people had finally left their dinner to come see what happened. Marco and Jean were there, worried about what had happened to Mikasa. Christa followed after seeing the scene Eren put on, which had Ymir following her. Connie followed Sasha, but Sasha's reason for going out was to ask if Mikasa was planning on eating the bread, even though it had fallen on the floor. They were watching the scene in front of them, a mixture of concern, confusion and worry all eminent on their faces.

Mikasa looked back at them, only now noticing them, and simply shrugged her shoulders. She didn't have an answer for them or their questions. She lifted Eren up and off of her shoulder so she could see his face and nudged him forward.

"Eren, tell me what's wrong." She placed her hand on his cheek, hoping to settle his nerves. He seemed so destroyed all of a sudden and seeing her brother like this was completely nerve wrecking for her.

"I-It's Armin," He croaked. Mikasa's face went from worried to a thin and frightening line on her lips and her brows furrowed.

"Armin…? What's wrong, what happened to him?" She asked. The other cadets had now settled on getting closer, hearing that something was wrong with Armin causing their chests to clench in worry.

"He… H-He doesn't…" Eren couldn't say it. He couldn't possibly say what was wrong, because how could he? It was his fault to begin with.

"Eren, what's wrong?" Mikasa pushed forward for an answer. "He's alive, right?" She asked.

"Y-Yes…" Eren was shaking his head at the same time he answered.

"Then what's wrong?" She tried again. Eren kept shaking his head, acting like he was about ready to break out into tears. His eyes were red already, almost like he had been previously crying before he got there. "Eren, answer me. What's wrong with him?" She asked, her voice getting stern to show how serious she was. Eren looked up with pleading eyes before speaking.

"He doesn't… R-Remember anything…" He sounded completely defeated. His voice was small and barely anyone within earshot heard him. Everyone outside the mess hall did though, and everyone seemed to go white.

What had he just said? He couldn't remember anything? As in his memories were gone? Did they hear him right?

"What do you mean he "doesn't remember anything"? As in his memories are gone?" Mikasa asked. Eren broke free from her hands and grabbed at her wrists again. He began pulling her along down the halls and on instinct the others followed. Mikasa protested quickly, but Eren kept silent. He kept pulling her until they were out of the building and heading for the infirmary.

He pulled her up the stairs, through the door and into the room where Armin still was. Armin was sitting upright in his bed, his hands folded in his lap until Eren had burst into the room with everyone else. He pulled his legs up to his chest a little, as if in defense, and backed away into his bed more. He looked scared.

"There!" Eren pointed to Armin and spoke, his voice rushed and tired from pulling Mikasa around. Armin had flinched at the loud tone of Eren's and brought his hands to his chest. "Ask him anything, anything at all. He won't remember it!" He went back to pacing and putting his hands to his mouth so he could bite down on his knuckles again.

Mikasa stood in the doorway with the others behind her. She looked over at Armin who seemed more worried and afraid of Eren than the others. Despite these factors, however, she slowly walked over to Armin and sat on the edge at the end of the bed. He backed up again until his back was against the headrest and he couldn't move back any further. He really did seem scared.

"… Armin?" She said in a questioning but calm tone. He looked at her while trying to hide his face. Now that she was near him, she could hear him breathing in small pants. "Armin, do you remember me?" She asked. Armin looked up to the others in the room, to Eren and then back to her.

"… N-No… You keep calling me that… Is that my name?" He asked. Mikasa's widened her eyes in surprise and worry at his answer.

"You really don't remember us?" Christa asked from where she stood by the others. Armin looked up at them and shook his head.

"You don't remember Eren or Mikasa?" Jean spoke up and asked. Armin shook his head again. This time he seemed to relax a little, his muscles relaxing and letting his self slowly move away from the headrest. The sense of danger wasn't as serious to him as it was before.

"Who are they?" He asked. Mikasa breathed in cold air and turned her head to look over her shoulder at Eren. She looked at him and watched as he turned his body slightly (his back facing them) and looked at them with concerned and angry eyes. He didn't voice it, but she could see him mouth the words, _"I told you so_," and looked away.

"Armin… I'm Mikasa." Mikasa pointed to herself and said. Armin looked at her and nodded, but she wasn't sure exactly what would stay in his head. "And… And that's Eren over there." She pointed back to Eren who was now facing them. Armin looked up at him, but when Eren glanced at him he looked away with fright.

"Armin, you shouldn't be afraid of Eren. He didn't mean to scare you, he's just…" She looked back at Eren for a moment and then back to Armin. "He's more _worried_ for you than you are afraid of him." She said.

"Why?" Armin asked. He was slowly starting to relax. He finally wasn't pushed into the corner of his bed and had scooted closer to Mikasa, but he wasn't all that close either. He had gone to fiddling with his hands in his lap, looking down at them but occasionally looking up while Mikasa talked.

"… You honestly don't remember a thing, do you?" Mikasa asked. Armin looked down to his hands again and shook his head. The room went silent and once again the only thing that could be heard was the cricket outside the window. The group of cadets still standing in the doorway didn't even budge an inch.

What could they possibly do to help the situation?

Absolutely nothing. There was nothing they could do or say that could make Armin better. They weren't even sure what was wrong with him to being with. All they knew was that he didn't remember a thing.

"No, I…" Armin looked up at the others and then around the room. "Where am I anyways?" He asked.

"You're in the infirmary." Mikasa said. "You… Had an _accident._ You hit your head pretty hard and you needed stitches." Mikasa continued. She purposely left out the part about Eren, but that didn't go off as a secret for long.

"Yeah, Eren knocked you on your ass so hard you passed out in his arms." Ymir put her arms on her hips and said, her voice teasing and a smirk on her lips when she saw Eren glare at her from where he stood.

"Ymir, don't do that." Christa reprimanded.

"Well if we're trying to help, what better way to do it then with the truth?" Ymir asked. Mikasa glared back at her, a very small growl leaving her throat. It was so quiet that no one, not even Armin heard it.

"That's not how you go about it though." Christa said sternly.

"So then what do you suggest?" Marco asked while walking further into the room and making his presence known. Christa looked to the rest of the group and then to Armin sitting in his bed. She took in a deep breath of air before she paced over to where Armin was sitting and held out her hand to him. The initial motion shocked him, but her next words were less surprising and friendlier.

"I'm Christa!" She chirped and her voice unintentionally squeaked. All of the room fell silent except for Ymir who started laughing. She joined Christa and wrapped her arm around Christa's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"Ah, just marry me already." She said while getting out a few more chuckles. Christa ignored her and kept her hand out in the air, waiting for Armin to shake her hand. Armin looked down at her hand and then to Christa who was waiting as patiently as ever. Eventually he reached forward and took her hand in his, noting the feel of her skin. She had, and it wasn't an exaggeration, baby soft skin.

"I guess that means I already knew you, right?" Armin asked. Christa beamed a bright smile and sat down next to him. Another surprising move, but for Ymir she wasn't all too happy with Christa leaving her for the boy who couldn't remember what he had for breakfast.

"Oh yes, yes we knew each other!" She coddled his hand within her own and smiled even more.

"We were… Friends?" Armin guessed with hesitation, moving back a little. He didn't want to be rude by fully backing away from her, but he wasn't all too comfortable with her touching him like this.

"Oh, well I wouldn't say we were as good of friends as you, Eren and Mikasa are, but I consider you a very good friend Armin. Sure, I haven't known you for too long, but in the time I got to train with you I've gotten to know you and I think of you as a very loyal and trustworthy person." She said while her big, blue eyes looked directly into his own blue eyes. Armin blushed brightly from her statement before looking away to where Mikasa was. She smiled a weak smile to him and then he looked to Eren. Eren was standing with his back against the wall, his arms still crossed over his chest, though he was no longer biting his knuckles.

He wasn't smiling.

"Hey, what about us?" Connie burst in and joined Christa by the bed. "We are all your friends too!" He whined.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Armin mumbled. "I-I didn't know-" Jean had walked up behind Armin and as he spoke, Jean gave him a good smack to his back. It was more playful than painful, but Armin was startled enough to jump out of the bed. He turned around while trying to reach the spot where Jean had hit, but his arms couldn't reach to the middle of his back.

"Of course you didn't know," Jean clarified.

"Jean, that was kind of mean." Marco told him. Armin noticed the new faces, ones he hadn't been paying attention to before, and let out a shaky sigh. So many people in such a short amount of time; it was overwhelming.

"W-Who are you?" He asked while pulling his hands back to his chest.

"Oh, I'm Marco, and the one who hit you is Jean. We met you when we got into training together." He introduced with a smile. Jean grinned himself, but his seemed more mischievous and not all too trusting. At least, that's what Armin thought.

"Everyone besides Eren, Armin and Mikasa here met in training." Jean sneered. Armin looked over to Sasha and Connie, not saying anything but letting his eyes ask for their names.

"I'm Sasha! Like Jean said, we all met on the first day of training." She said.

"I'm Connie, and yeah, same as everyone else." Connie smiled and said. Armin smiled back slightly and nodded his head to show that he understood them. Armin looked back to Christa to give her a soft smile, but found himself frowning when seeing her elbow Ymir's side. Ymir was rolling her eyes, but after one more jab to her side, she finally spoke up.

"I'm Ymir." She said. Armin waited for a moment, waiting for something else to come out of the tall girl's mouth, but nothing more came out.

"I guess we aren't very good friends, are we, Ymir?" He asked. Ymir rolled her eyes again and he looked away. Behind Jean and Marco he could see Eren still standing against the wall and still frowning. He was wondering why the boy was so happy when he woke up, but now he looked so frightening. He looked like he was about ready to kill someone more than hug him like he previously perceived.

"Um…" Armin mumbled. Everyone had started to chat, but once they heard him speak, the room had gone quiet, all eyes on him. "Uh, y-you all keep saying we met when we started training… What exactly are we training for?" Armin asked.

Instead of the original silence, a silence that was like a normal silence, though it made it awkward while he was being stared at, this silence had become… unsettling. Everyone seemed afraid, nervous, worried, there was no real word to describe their looks. The atmosphere was filled with tension though and Armin regretted asking the question. No one was answering, so he sat down back in his spot on the bed and fiddled with his fingers, waiting for the heavy tension to go away.

"Oh god…" Christa mumbled. Armin looked up to her to see her eyes filled with an obvious fear. "You mean… You don't remember _them?_" She asked while her hands trembled at her lips. Armin frowned a little at the question, but since he didn't know what _"them"_ was he didn't have much of a good answer.

Could he answer no? He would be answering to say he didn't know who _"them" _was, but he couldn't say no since he didn't know what she was even speaking about.

"Who's going to tell him?" Connie asked.

"I'm not telling him." Marco mumbled.

"I can't tell him, I just can't." Sasha was starting to shake with fear as she spoke.

"If you don't want to then I will." Ymir said.

"Ymir don't. You can't just talk about it so bluntly." Christa fussed.

"No, we shouldn't tell him anything. He's not ready for it." Mikasa asserted. Armin's eyes were trying to follow the whole group of people talking simultaneously, but they couldn't keep up. Everyone was talking at once and it was overwhelming, even more so than just the amount of people in the room.

"T-Tell me what? What is it you can't tell me?" Armin asked.

"I'll tell him." Eren spoke up from where he was in the room. Everyone stared back at Eren who was still sulking in depression, but his eyes looked more serious than before. He left the wall and walked over everyone else was, and for a moment Armin wanted to crawl back into bed and hide. Eren had such a quiet footfall and barely bounced with his steps. It was almost like he was purposely trying to look stealthy, but Armin was sure that wasn't what he was trying to accomplish.

"Tell me what?" Armin was adamant about getting an answer out of someone. If Eren was willing to give him one then he'd face this boy who was making him tremble with fear.

"About the titans." Eren said coldly.

"Eren," Mikasa objected. Eren bit his bottom lip and for a moment the boy thought he'd bite right through it, but he stopped when Mikasa stood up to be next to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"What are… Titans?" Armin asked while the word rolled off his tongue. For some reason the word made him shiver. It didn't sound right to say and it didn't feel right when it came out. The word made his head ache a little, almost like a headache, but he didn't know why.

"They're monsters… And they eat us." Eren mumbled. Armin hadn't noticed that he spoke at first. He only noticed that Eren's voice wasn't as deep and his face wasn't as severe. He looked calmer after Mikasa had finally persuaded Eren into at _least _holding her hand. When the words finally reached him, his eyes grew wide and for a moment he started laughing.

How could he believe such a thing?

"That's not something to joke about." Armin said, though his laugh was dying down. The faces on everyone matched Eren's and Mikasa and he didn't like it.

"It's not a joke." Ymir responded. "They're things that are meters tall and take pleasure in ripping our flesh off and plucking their teeth with our bones."

"Ymir." Christa countered back. Ymir simply shrugged her shoulders and hummed.

"W-What?" Armin stood up from his bed and exclaimed. He opened his mouth again, but Mikasa spoke before he got the chance to.

"Armin, you need to calm down. You'll get sick if you panic too much." She left Eren's side for a moment to take Armin's hand. He resisted, but she pulled him close and moved them both back to Eren. The blond took to looking at his feet, afraid to face Eren directly.

"H-How can I not panic about something like that?" He asked while he voice cracked. "Things that… That eat us? And we have to fight them?"

"We have no choice." Jean said.

"Humanity is down to what's left behind these two walls." Sasha mumbled. Armin looked around at his friends, his eyes wide and tearing up. He hadn't even seen one before, and if he had, he didn't remember what it looked like. He didn't want to remember though. He didn't want to see one. If they were meters tall, that meant they were as big as this building or even bigger. That meant they could easily kill every one of them before they had a chance to blink.

"Walls…?" Armin looked to Eren and asked. He didn't know why he looked to him now, but suddenly he felt the impulse to do so. He didn't want to, but his body did it on its own.

"Four years ago we had three walls. They were fifty meters tall and not a titan could get through. One day, though, a titan that humanity calls the "colossal titan" broke through the Shinganshina gate." Mikasa spoke. Armin kept his eyes locked with Eren's while he listened to Mikasa. "Then another titan, one we call the "iron titan" broke through Wall Maria's gate. Wall Maria fell and we were all forced back into Wall Rose," She finished.

"And we were there the day it happened." Eren said. Armin's eyes widened at the information that was being put into his head. He was so lost by it all, because it was so much information to take in, but at the same time he was trying his best to absorb all of it.

"We were there?" Armin asked in a mumble.

"Yeah," Eren looked away. "Thousands of people lost their lives. We were lucky to get out alive…" His voice dropped again. Armin shivered at the sound of it. He didn't remember being there, and he was slightly glad for that. He was sure he didn't want to relive being in such a terrible place at such a terrible moment.

"And… What about children…? Families?" Armin asked, afraid of the answer and not too keen on asking it in the first place.

"It doesn't matter. They eat us because we're their game. They won't hold back on any being, girl or boy, elder or baby." Ymir received another jab to her side by Christa for such a graphic tone in her sentence.

"So then… What about _our _families?" Armin asked. He looked Eren dead in the eyes, hoping for something more than just a gory story. He noticed Eren's shoulders tense and his fist clench so tightly that his knuckles were white. The bite marks on his knuckles were more prominent while his hand was like this.

Armin already knew he wasn't going to get a happy ending.

"My mother was eaten…" Eren said. Armin frowned at the same time a chill went through the room and down his back. Mikasa took one of Eren's fists into her hand and rubbed the back of it, trying to sooth it and relax the muscle. It didn't help.

"I… I'm sorry." Armin apologized remorsefully. "I-I didn't mean to ask, I-I mean I did but-"

"I know you didn't. It's not like we all haven't seen our fair shares of hell." Eren stopped shaking finally, his voice wavering, but a little less pitiful.

"So then… What about my family?" Another question he was afraid to ask, but he had to know. He asked anyway.

Eren looked over to Mikasa, silently asking if it was okay to answer before Mikasa nodded her head.

"… They didn't make it out either. Well, your grandfather had but…" Eren saw a tear pooling at the edge of Armin's eyes. He swallowed down a lump in his throat before continuing. "Your grandfather gave his life to keep you alive." He finished.

Armin covered his mouth with his hand as the tear slipped down his cheek. He swallowed hard, trying fervently not to sob, but it wasn't working. His brittle mind couldn't comprehend what was going on around him or the hellish world he had been born into. He was now alive, here with these people he had just met but also had known for many years. He had no family because they had been eaten by things that were what humanity was fighting against to stay alive. His mind simply couldn't handle everything that was going on. It was too much, too much too soon.

"W-What kind of thing…" His voice was muffled by his hand and wavered as he spoke. "I-I don't… Understand. Why would they do this…?" Armin finally broke down. He pushed his hands to his eyes to cover up the tears pouring relentlessly down his cheeks while he sobbed in pitiful pain.

Mikasa pulled her friend close and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He buried his face into the junction of her neck and shoulder while hugging her back and crying on her. Mikasa gently rocked Armin in her arms as he cried, trying to sooth her friend as best as she could. She was slightly happy that he wasn't like Eren when Eren got upset. By now she'd either punch out his lights or he'd kick his own ass if trying to talk him down didn't work.

While she rocked her friend back and forth, she noticed the door to the infirmary was slightly ajar. She saw the doctor behind it, waving at her. She glared at him, but she knew what he wanted.

Mikasa waved her hand to Eren, motioning for him to come forward. He did just as instructed and Mikasa pulled Eren into the hug. Eren draped his arms over Armin, nervous about being so close to someone who didn't remember him, but all the same wanting to comfort him in some way. He didn't like the feeling of not being able to do anything; it was even worse than feeling guilty about this whole situation in the first place. He may not have had the right to do it, but he still wanted to.

After a moment of hugging, Mikasa slowly pulled Armin off of her shoulder and nudged him fully to Eren. Armin clung to Eren quickly and as much as he had done with Mikasa, if not a little more. He didn't know why, but it felt right. Doing the same as before he pressed his face to Eren's neck; without a scarf in the way, he simple cried against skin, but Eren didn't seem to mind. The taller boy cautiously wrapped an arm around his waist while the other moved behind his neck and tangled into his hair. He obviously didn't have any objections.

The blacked haired girl watched for a moment as the two of them simply stood there, emotions open to the others in the room. When she was sure they wouldn't notice it, Mikasa slipped past the others so she could talk to the doctor. She left the room and quietly closed the door behind her. The doctor was waiting by it, his arms crossed over his chest and a lit cigarette in his mouth.

"So what do you think is wrong with him?" Mikasa asked quietly. She was looking through the window panel in the door, watching the others talk to each other in the room.

"The poor kid can't remember a thing. It's an obvious case of amnesia." The doctor diagnosed. Mikasa frowned and slowly nodded her head.

"I was afraid of that." She mumbled to herself. "Is this something permanent?" She asked.

"No. In most cases, amnesia that's caused by a sudden trauma to the head, much like your friends, only lasts for about a week. The longest record in our history is amnesia that lasted about a month." He talked and puffed some smoke out of his mouth. "He simply got the air knocked out of him. It wouldn't surprise me if his memories are back by tomorrow." He said and brought the cigarette back to his mouth.

"You said "in most cases". Are you saying some people don't get their memories back?" Mikasa looked away from the door finally to ask.

"That depends on the injury itself. If it's a serious injury, say someone had been knocked out of the air by a titan and hit their head against a brick wall, their chances of not getting their memories back are quite high."

"But Armin still hit his head. Does that mean he still has a chance of not getting them back?" Mikasa didn't wait for him to finish breathing in on his cigarette this time. She wanted answers and she wanted them _now._

"His head injury wasn't too severe." The doctor muttered.

"That's not what I asked." She raised her voice, but not so much that her chattering friends inside the room would hear her. "I asked if there was still a chance. Is there still the chance that he won't get his memories back or not?" Mikasa hated repeating herself, but she had to this time so she could get the point across.

The doctor seemed annoyed though by her. He sighed and lifted his foot to rub the still full cigarette out on the heel of his boot. The smoke was gross but Mikasa didn't let it show that it bothered her and she tried hard not to let it get to her. She stood stalk still and waited for his answer, enduring the smell of it mixed with the night air. After a few minutes, the doctor pulled the glasses off of his nose and rubbed his eyes as if he had been keeping them open for hours on end without so much as blinking.

"Yeah. They're slim, but your friend still has his chances of never getting his memories back."

* * *

**A/N: Now review or the doctor gets more snobby remarks. XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Woo! Look at me go! Woo! Did this all in one day! Woo! *totally not hyped up on chips, chocolate and soda* I'm really getting into this fanfic, but now it is late. I shall start chapter six tomorrow. :3 I just want to say that I really appreciate all of the reviews I'm getting. It's like chocolate every time I get a review!**

**Levi- So it's like your addiction?  
What the hell are you doing here? You aren't even in this fanfic!**

**Levi- It was just a question. You're even more psychotic than hanji.**

**Oh so very proud of it my love. Just for that I shall make you bottom in my next fanfic... Whenever it gets out! :D**

**Levi- Wait a mi-**

**So I should mention for this chapter that since it's never really defined at the ages they all meet, I kind of took a blind swing with things. Also, this is still training days, so Marco is alive! WOOHOO! Go me~ Go me~ ALso, I'm not trying to make Shadis out to be the bad guy, or Jean or Ymir or the doct-... Well the doctor is debatable but everyone else has their moments. XD...**

**There was one other thing from the last fanfic that I wanted to tell you people, but I don't remember. Y_Y Eh. Oh well. When I remember what it was, I'll come back and make and edit. Alright my friends, that's it!**

**Song of the day: watch?v=9K12xk3RdrA**

**Oyasuminsai!**

**-Misty**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 5: Stand Up for What's Right**

* * *

**WARNING: This fanfic borders rated M for adult language. You have been warned.**

* * *

That night Eren and Mikasa had stayed in the infirmary with Armin. Armin wasn't allowed to leave, therefor he would have been alone, but since there was no real rule saying where they could or couldn't sleep (and secretly leaving Shadis out of the picture) they stayed with him.

Mikasa had fallen asleep up right in the chair she had taken slight possession of. The medical book finally did its job and put her to sleep, along with Eren and Armin who had asked her to read out loud. They had both been sitting upright in Armin's bed, listening intently, but after a while they both fell asleep. Mikasa hadn't noticed it until she came across a word she didn't know how to pronounce and looked to them to help her. She was met with the sight of the two sleeping against each other with Eren's head leaning against Armin's.

Even though Armin had lost his memories, after his moments of induced anguish, Eren stayed close by his side, closer then he normally ever did. At first Armin was uncomfortable by the idea, but within him he felt content with the somehow familiar sensation of the two being close. At first he was fine with just a simple brush of the hands or Eren hugging him when he felt the need to cry all over again, but then the more they talked and the more time they spent had them growing closer. That's how they ended up falling asleep on the same bed.

So what did Mikasa do? She did the same thing any sane person would do at that moment. Mikasa set her book down on the table and stood up, her bones popping from the hours of sitting in the same position. She stretched for a moment and sighed, her eyes watching as the boys slept peacefully. She smiled as she stopped stretching and reached forward to touch her brother and friends cheeks; neither reacted to it, so she knew it was safe to go ahead with her plan.

Mikasa started with Eren first. She repositioned him so he was lying down in the bed with a pillow under his head. She did the same with Armin and when both were lying down together, she covered them with the forgotten blankets. The two boys looked so peaceful when sleeping, and after all that happened, they could use a few hours of respite.

Mikasa quietly sat back down in her seat and picked up her book again. It only took a few paragraphs for fatigue to hit her, and then a few more for her head to droop and for her to fall asleep with the book in her hands. It sat in her lap for hours until the sun started to rise over the sky.

The sun created rays of orange and yellow and red and lit up the dark sky into arrays of a burning sunrise. The light slipped in through the window above Armin's bed and lit up the dark room. It was then that the light shined down on Mikasa's sleeping face. She winced and shifted in her seat, causing the book to fall. It wasn't a loud thud, but in such a densely quiet room, it was the loudest thing she had heard since a gunshot.

She jumped in her dazed state and looked around for the source of the sound until she saw the book dented by the fall on the floor. She yawned and then sighed as the chill of the morning cold went up her back. She rubbed her eyes from the sleep and stretched once more, her back now aching from the position she slept in. She looked up after rubbing her eyes to see her brother and Armin still sleeping in the bed, but now they were cuddling in their sleep. Armin had his head against Eren's shoulder, his face hidden in his neck and his arms pulled up to his chest. Eren had one arm under Armin's head as a pillow; the other was on his waist under the blanket.

Mikasa smiled at the sweet sight in front of her. The two boys looked even cuter than before she fell asleep. She wanted to leave them alone, to leave the room for breakfast and to let the boys sleep just a little longer, to delve in the realms of dreams for as long as she could prolong, but she knew that wasn't a possibility. Soon everyone would wake up and the dining hall would be filled to the brim with cadets. She had no choice but to wake them up so they could eat as well.

She left her chair and picked up the book first to fix it. Once done, she stepped over to the bed and leaned over the side. She placed a hand on Armin's shoulder and shook it a little, hoping to wake him up. It worked like she planned. Armin's blue eyes opened, looking fuzzy and dazed from sleep.

He mumbled quietly to himself and brought a hand up to his eyes to rub them. He seemed quite content with where he was for the most part, but as reality became obvious a more than apparent blush dusted his cheek.

"Morning," Mikasa whispered to him and then went to shake Eren awake. Armin slowly slid his way out from Eren's arms, his face still terribly red as he tried not to wake up his new friend. Mikasa was on the other side of the bed in no time, though, and was already shaking him before Armin could get out of bed. Eren grumbled to himself, his grip tightening on what he had of his friend's waist unconsciously. Armin squeaked in response. "Eren, wake up," Mikasa murmured.

"I don't wanna…" Eren grumbled and scooted closer to Armin for warmth. Again Armin squeaked, his blush not residing from the closeness. He hadn't known Eren for that long (He had but he just didn't remember) so this whole thing was very uncomfortable.

"Eren, you're scaring Armin. Get up already," She pushed against Eren's side until the boy's green eyes opened and finally got a glimpse of what was going on around him. Armin was nearly hanging off of the edge of the bed, his legs under Eren while Eren's head now rested in his lap. He looked up at the younger boy, noticing the nervous but embarrassed look on his face. Eren almost questioned why, but yesterday came rushing back into his brain and he shot up so fast that his head nearly collided with Mikasa's face.

"I-I'm sorry!" He apologized and his voice inevitably cracked at the higher pressure and from the lack of use. Armin pulled on his legs for freedom and brought them up close to his chest. He laughed a small but nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, completely playing it off.

"Aha, n-no, it's okay." Armin looked to the floor and spoke as casually as he could, but his voice betrayed him by shaking slightly. Mikasa had to hold back a small laugh at the site of the two boys trying to talk in a normal manner, but waking up in bed with someone normally leaves a person feeling awkward. She almost spoke too, but held back. She was sure the boys wouldn't like the comment if she said that they were practically _"spooning"_ each other. Instead, she decided to make the situation better.

"It's still early. Let's go to the mess hall and get breakfast before everyone else wakes up." She suggested in her usual bored tone. The two boys couldn't have been happier from her suggestion. It made the moment less awkward and easier to breathe. They both nodded in agreement and left the bed.

"Maybe I should get you a change of clothes." Eren suggested. Armin blinked a few times before looking down at himself. He could see why Eren was suggesting it though; his outfit was covered in dirt from his accident, parts of his pants and white shirt on the front were speckled in his blood and then the back of his jacket was covered in it. He probably looked like someone coming back from war.

"Oh… That might be a good idea." Armin mumbled. Eren nodded his head in agreement.

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes then." He said and left the room, leaving Mikasa and Armin to themselves. Armin sat back down on the bed, sighing as he waited patiently for Eren. Mikasa started walking around the room, no real destination in mind. She looked at some of the things in the doctor's office, trying to make sense from some of the equipment now that she'd read about it. She recognized some of it within seconds of seeing them, others she had to rattle her brain for to remember what they were used for.

"Hey, uh… Mikasa…?" Armin said while letting out a heavy breath. Mikasa turned back to Armin, ignoring the blood stains and looking at her friend.

"Yes," She replied. Armin started fidgeting in his spot on the bed, his fingers tangling together in his lap. "What's wrong, Armin?" Mikasa walked to the bed and asked. She sat down on the bed by him and watched as he opened and closed his mouth, as if trying to find the right words, but before they could come out, he changed his mind on them.

"Um… A-About Eren…" He started.

"What about him?"

"Um, I-I was just wondering what, uh… What is my _relationship_ with him?" He hesitated, but slowly he got the question out.

"Your _relationship?_" Mikasa repeated.

"Y-Yeah, I mean, he's been staying right by me since I woke up. You have been too, but I just… Get a different feeling from him then I do you." He says. Mikasa sat back and rested her arms against the bed, letting them hold her up.

"Oh, I see what you mean." She mumbled.

"You do…?" Armin asked.

"Yeah. It doesn't surprise me that you get that feeling. You and Eren have been inseparable friends for a long time now, longer than I've known Eren." She said.

"How long have we known each other…?" Armin sat back in a similar position as Mikasa, trying to relax.

"I'm not really sure how long you two have known each other. Whenever someone asked you or Eren, your answers were always the same; just a simple, "We've known each other for a long time now." I think that means you've known each other for a few years longer than I have. Maybe when you were still learning how to read." She said.

"That long, huh?" Armin mumbled to himself.

"Yeah. I met Eren and then you a little later when I was about seven. Even back then you two would barely leave each other's sides."

"Could you tell me about it?" Armin asked and sat up. His arms were starting to hurt from the position. Mikasa only looked at him, her lips frowning slightly.

"I'm not sure if I should. That's more of a thing for you and Eren to talk about." She said.

"I want to hear it from you though." Armin was honest; at least someone couldn't be angry at him for that. Mikasa sighed to herself.

"Where should I start?" She asked.

"Maybe… How we met?" He asked while tilting his head.

"That one isn't hard. I wasn't even there but I had seen other moments like it. You were getting picked on by some neighborhood bullies and Eren saw it happening. Apparently he got himself a broken nose and a black eye, but he got you home." Her voice was small but strong, like the story was hard to tell but something that brought back inspiration and hope.

"He did that for me?" Armin was no less than surprised.

"Yeah. There were so many times those kids came after you and Eren fought every time." Armin went wide eyed as Mikasa spoke. He really didn't remember anything from his past, but it sounded like he had such a good friend. Now he felt a little guilty for not remembering Eren in the first place. "He got into less fights after I moved in with him. Those kids were terribly afraid of me."

Armin didn't miss the small smirk lingering in her jaw as she spoke.

"What else can you tell me about Eren and me?" Armin moved closer to her as he questioned her.

"You both have the same dream for the future." Mikasa mused.

"What's that?" He inquired.

"You both want to go outside of these walls and see the outside world someday." Mikasa said. This time she didn't try to hide her smile.

"The walls… The walls you told me about yesterday, right?" Armin asked.

"Right."

"Why do we want to go out there if there are titans out there?"

"Eren got the idea from you actually." Mikasa said. "He's said it before; he's said that anyone who gets to go outside these walls and see what's in "that" world is… _Free._" The last word came out as she let out a heavy sigh.

"That sounds wonderful." Armin murmured. "He is a lot more… _Complicated_ than he looks…"

"You have no idea…" Mikasa sat up from the bed and hopped off of it. "At the same time, though, Eren is very open about himself and what he believes. It's not like he tries to hide it."

"So at the same time, he's not hard to read, huh?" Armin asked with a smile. Mikasa ruffled his hair with her own smile and nodded her head.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." She said.

"So did we really spend a lot of time together?" Armin questioned.

"When I said you were inseparable, I meant it. One time Eren's mother sent me to go find you guys and I found you at this old barn about a mile away. You had been playing soldiers and reading this book your grandfather had given you and when I found you, you two were fast asleep in each other's arms." Mikasa smiled more from the memory. It reminded her a lot of how Eren and Armin looked when they woke up minutes before.

"We sounded like best friends." Armin murmured to himself. Mikasa laughed a little at his comment.

"You _were_ the best of friends. If someone ever wanted a definition of a best friend, you two would be the perfect example." Mikasa corrected. Armin nodded his head and looked away. He really did feel bad for not remembering something so precious. He didn't know Eren was so important to him, or that he was so important to him, but now he knew and now he felt guilty.

He wished he could remember something, anything about Eren. He wanted to remember that relationship he had with him that sounded like something out of a book. He wanted to know what it would be like to have a good friend stand by his side. Sure, Eren was there now, but could he truly appreciate him when not remembering all that Eren had done in the past?

Armin sighed quietly and looked up to Mikasa. She seemed distracted, looking away from him and out of the window and then to the door. She seemed to be a little anxious and fidgety, which was something he hadn't seen her do yet.

"Is something wrong, Mikasa?" Armin asked her. She looked to him and then out the window again.

"Eren is taking a while getting you clothes, isn't he?" She asked. Armin gave her a confused look. Eren wasn't taking long; at least that's what he thought. It had been a few minutes, but if he thought about it, that did seem off to get a simple shirt and pants.

Was where he was heading far away? Could he not find him any clean clothes?

"I'm going to go make sure he's not lost. Stay here please." Mikasa left with a quick pace, making sure Armin stayed in his room in the infirmary. She jogged down the hall to where the front door to the building was and opened it. It only was an inch open before Eren's voice boomed through.

"_This is fucking bullshit!_" He barked. Mikasa didn't waste time on the steps. She jumped off of the incline of the building before running over to Eren and grabbing his wrist to stop him mid-punch.

"Eren, stop!" She yelled over him. Eren pulled against her, his arm trapped before he could throw a punch at the person he was yelling at.

"You can't just throw him away like he's trash! Armin has put too much time into this training to be given up on!" He bellowed.

"Four years of training doesn't even exist in that mind of his anymore." Their commander spoke up. "If Arlert can't remember any of that training, he's useless to humanity's battle for existence."

"He's not a tool!" Eren dropped the clothes he had gotten for Armin and lunged forward, but with Mikasa's firm grip on him he couldn't get any closer than he already was. There were only a few feet of difference between them and Mikasa was already having issues keeping that distance.

While holding him off, Mikasa looked over to see the doctor standing behind Shadis, his hands in his white lab coat pockets.

"Why did you tell him?" Mikasa asked. Her voice was rough; she was not happy with him.

"I had no choice. I couldn't hide where you three were and eventually he would have found out the truth." The doctor said in a calm but serious tone.

"It doesn't matter! Armin will get his memories back with time and then he'll be as good as new!" Eren hissed at him.

"And if he doesn't?" Their commander asked. "From what the doctor said, he still has his chances of never getting them back." He spoke gravely. Eren stilled in Mikasa's arms and Mikasa sent a hiss in the doctor's direction.

She didn't want Eren finding out about that. Even if the chances were slim, they were still there and she didn't want her brother worrying about it, but the doctor had to have a big mouth and speak out of place.

"… What?" Eren asked, dumbfounded written on his face. Mikasa slowly released Eren from her tight grasp, letting him free for a moment.

By now Eren's yelling had woken up the few barracks within the perimeter. People started pouring out from their cabins to see what all of the ruckus and yelling was. Eren hadn't meant to cause such a scene, but when overhearing the doctor telling Keith Shadis about the situation and then hearing his commanding officers decision, he nearly lost it. If Mikasa hadn't come out and stopped him from punching Shadis's lights out… He wasn't sure what would have happened.

"I said they were slim, very slim. He will more than likely get him memories back and then things will be fine." The doctor explained. "Right?"

"And while he waits to recover he loses time training. I can't wait months for his brain to heal." Shadis said.

"You can't just give up on him though!" Eren growled. "He's the best theoretician you've got and letting him go to the mines is going to do nothing for him!"

"That brain of his isn't the same anymore, Jeager. Chances are that he's not going to be the same person you remember."

"Enough with the fucking chances! I'm so sick and tired of this chance crap! You don't know what could happen to him!" Eren ranted.

"I can't waste my time on someone who can't remember four years of training. I'm sorry, Jeager, but I can only give him a week, and that's being _kind_ for _him._" The commander turned his back to them.

Eren growled at the way Shadis had spoken. It made it sound like it was implying something towards Armin, and he didn't like it. He lunged forward again, ready to attack his commander when a set of hands pressed against his chest and stopped him. It wasn't Mikasa, he knew that because he felt her arms slid under his and grabbed his shoulders seconds later. He looked down to see Armin standing in front of him, his hands pressing against his chest and stopping him from making another move.

"Eren stop!" Armin cried. Shadis turned around to see the young boy they had just been talking about and to see the injury on his head. It was wrapped up in ace wrap around his head, but judging from the amount of blood dried on the back of his jacket and pants, it was obviously a rather serious wound.

It wasn't that he was cold hearted. He didn't want to give up on this young life that was one year away from graduating and giving his life for the cause of humanity, but it wasn't like he had a choice. Without proper memories of the titans or of the battle humanity had spent centuries fighting, what initiative would he have to fight in the first place? Without knowing how to even put on the uniforms they were given, how could he use the 3D Maneuver Gear? The poor kid could get himself killed on the spot.

"Please Eren, stop fighting for me." Armin begged quietly.

"Armin-" Eren stopped when seeing the desperate look on Armin's face. With Mikasa having a firm grip on him, Armin bent down to pick up the clothes that Eren had gotten for him. He picked them up and dusted them off so that the dirt was gone.

"Please, Eren. I'll go get dressed and we can go to breakfast, just please stop fighting for me." Armin begged. Eren shook his head, but the look of pure devastation on Armin's face was making him melt with even more guilt. He didn't like seeing that look on his friend, especially when knowing it was he who caused it in the first place.

He finally gave in and nodded his head. Mikasa hesitantly let go of him, keeping her muscles tense just in case she needed to hold him back again, but he kept his head low and followed Armin as the blond started walking back to the infirmary. She followed, throwing an angry glare in the doctor's direction to show that what he had done wasn't going to be forgotten easily. As they left, they could hear the commander's words echo in the distance.

"The show is over maggots! Get back to bed!" His voice rang at people, getting them back into their barracks until they were in the infirmary.

Armin had set his stuff on his bed and began removing each article of clothing, being careful not to have it brush the back of his head. Once that was done he placed on the new, crisp clean shirt that was similar to his blood covered one. He then put the grey/blue vest on next, buttoning it up, but left the first button undone. When it came to the straps of the harness he had been wearing, the top part was relatively easy to get off. The bottom half looked confusing, though, and if he messed up he could easily tangle it.

"Let me help you." Eren suggested. Armin didn't protest and let Eren help him. He sat down on the bed, letting Eren work with the belt and sash around his hips and then undoing the belts around his thighs.

"Can you show me how to put these on?" Armin asked. Eren looked up at him and let out a small laugh.

"I thought you wanted to take them off?" He asked and went back to the task at hand. He started pulling the boots off of Armin's feet so he could get to the straps under his feet.

"I do, but I mean later…" Armin trailed off and looked out of the window to see the herding of people to their barracks and Shadis still yelling at them. "I can't give up just yet." He murmured.

A small smile curled on Mikasa's lips as she heard this. Eren looked up, a little wide eyed and felt his heart beat strangely in his chest. Armin looked down at him and smiled, his foot kicking Eren's arm.

"What's with that look, Eren?" Armin asked and laughed. Eren schooled his face back to a seemingly bored expression, but he couldn't get the words out of his head. It wasn't that what he said wasn't inspiring or did anything to make him feel better; it had done more than that, but it also struck a small cord in him. Something now ached that he couldn't stop.

"_That brain of his isn't the same anymore, Jeager. Chances are that he's not going to be the same person you remember."_

"Eren, is something wrong?" Mikasa asked. Eren shook his head a little to get rid of the annoying thought that lingered. He then shook his head as his answer.

"N-No, I was just thinking about something." Eren finished pulling off the straps around Armin's leg and handed him his pants. Armin was quick to change when hearing his stomach growl at him for not feeding it. He slipped on the shoes Eren had gotten from him and stood up to make sure everything was on right.

"Should we change the bandage on your head first?" Eren asked. Armin shook his head.

"No, not yet anyway." He said. He smiled to him before holding out his hand to him. "Come on, let's go eat." He said softly.

Eren felt his cheeks blush slightly, but none the less he did as told. He hesitantly took Armin's hand into his own and Armin made sure their grip was firm and unbreakable before he pulled him along to Mikasa. Mikasa took the hand that was offered to her and led them both out of the infirmary. They left the building to see people already gathering at the mess hall.

"Well, there goes an early breakfast." Eren mumbled as they walked into the building.

"It's okay, Eren." Armin smiled at him. His smile was talking for him. It was simply saying that Armin was happy that Eren had stood up for him, so being late would be okay for him so long as he didn't have to be separated from Eren and Mikasa. Armin was saying that with his eyes, but Eren was never good at reading people.

"Hey, you guys!" A young voice called. The three looked over to see Christa waving to them. Ymir was by her side, per the usual, and with them were Sasha, Connie, Daz, Reiner and Bertholdt. Eren was next to lead his friends over to the table where they sat.

The whole group was smiling, but Reiner and Bertholdt had yet to hear the truth to the rumors. It was only this morning with Eren's outburst that they had heard anything about Armin losing his memory, so now it was time to put those rumors to rest.

"Good morning Armin," Bertholdt said with a bright smile. The others greeted him as well, but Armin gave him a very confused look. Eren noticed this and laughed.

"Armin, this is Bertholdt and that's Reiner. Over there is Daz." Eren pointed to each person, pointing them out and saying their names. Armin nodded with each name, but he saw each person frown when trying to say their names.

"So then it's true; he really does have amnesia." Reiner said. Mikasa confirmed it with a nod.

"You mean the others didn't tell you?" Eren asked the group around them.

"We thought it'd be fun to see their reactions." Ymir joked with a teasing smirk.

"Ymir, only _you_ thought that." Connie reprimanded. Christa let out a soft giggle, but Ymir couldn't be mad at her for it. How could she when Christa was so cute?

"Are you guy's hungry? We each got some extra food for you." Sasha said, holding out a small tin of soup, although she didn't seem too happy. Daz did the same and then Christa followed with a sandwich, which she had made especially for Armin.

"Thanks, everyone," Armin said. Everyone went to sitting at the table and eating their food. They made sure to make enough room so Mikasa, Eren and Armin could sit there and not be forced into another table, either alone or with someone they didn't know. Jean and Marco had joined them, but only stood at the table for a moment, because they were going to head back soon to eat their own meals.

"Look at the big, tough man," Jean countered Eren with. Eren scoffed at him and bit down on the bread Mikasa had given him. (The same bread she had stolen the night before.)

"Shut the hell up, Jean." Eren grumbled.

"Come on guys, let's not start this now. It's too early for this." Reiner stepped in. Jean held up his hand in a defensive but mocking manner. Armin could see that the grin on Jean's face had Eren digging his nails into the wooden table.

"I didn't say anything offensive. I was simply going to compliment Eren for standing up for what's right." He said. Eren clicked his tongue and put his bread down. Armin didn't realize it, but Jean wasn't done with Eren just yet. "I was simply going to tell him that it's a good thing he did standing up for his _boyfriend._" Jean added.

"Oh boy…" Armin heard Ymir mumble.

"Oh that's _it!_" Eren stood up from the table, the back of his legs hitting the bench as he stood up to Jean, though he was much smaller than him. "I don't have the patience to deal with your shit today, Jean!" He barked.

"You two knock it off!" Connie yelled over the two.

"If you have something to say, then say it and stop with your petty jokes!" Eren yelled. Armin stood up and grabbed Eren's arm, trying to get his attention, but the yelling started hurting his ears and head. They seemed louder than they actually were.

"_Petty?_ Are you calling me petty?" Jean exclaimed.

"No, I'm calling you an asshole!" Eren retorted.

"Eren, that's enough." Mikasa finally stood up and spoke up, having just about enough of the fighting for one day. She wouldn't deny that even she was annoyed by all of the fighting, or even just the amount of pressure on them at that moment.

"Go ahead, listen to your sister. It's not like you can do anything else." Jean griped.

"Bastard, you leave her out of this!"

"Eren…" Armin mumbled.

"I'm not bringing her into this!"

"Yes you are! You're doing anything to get a rise out of me!"

"Then calm down, Eren." Mikasa stepped between the two. "You need to calm down already or things are just going to get a whole lot worse."

"I didn't start this!" Her brother yelled.

"But you can end it." She chastised. Eren huffed in irritation, but the serious wave of anger was already disintegrating. The whole lunch room had gone silent with their arguing, leaving only the sounds of a few uncaring people eating.

"Eren…" Armin mumbled again. Eren looked away to see Armin barely clinging onto the sleeve of his shirt. His skin had gone completely pale and he staggered back and forth slightly; he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Armin, what's wrong?" Eren asked as he wrapped his arms around Armin to help keep him up. Upon touch he could feel how cold his skin was unlike earlier where his hand had been warm. Now it was pale, cold, and he had broken out into a cold sweat. The whole argument between Jean and him was totally forgotten about and now their focus was on Armin.

"I don't… Feel so good…" Armin leaned forward to rest his head down on Eren's shoulder. Eren could feel the frighteningly cold skin of his face press against his neck and he swallowed with worry.

"This was probably too much for him." Mikasa said with her normal stoic voice and expression. "He needs more bed rest." Eren nodded his head in understanding and scooped Armin up into his arms. Armin's hands were barely able to wrap about his neck, the cold and clammy skin on his hands making Eren shiver.

"Let's get him back to the infirmary." Eren said. Mikasa nodded. Eren went on ahead, hearing Christa call for Mikasa behind them.

"Hear, don't forget your food." She said. Eren heard Mikasa thank Christa before following them out the door and back to the infirmary.

* * *

A/N: Quick question for you all before you review (Because you will, right? *Holds up sword at your laptops and computer*) I feel like lately my writing has been lacking in something. Maybe it's imagery, maybe it's vibrant words. You can probably tell that I went on a vocab beinge to make my fanfics colorful, so let me know please. ^_^ Have a wonderful day! (Or night, or evening. Hell, I don't know where you people are from. XD)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh my god I remember what it was I wanted to tell you two or three chapters ago but couldn't! I remember~! :D Okay, so I wanted to throw in something about Eren's hand healing so early. I know it was never mentioned or spoken of, but I think maybe there were a couple of times at some point in his life where he healed really fast and there was no way of explaining it (hence the titan thing he's not aware of yet) So that's why his hand healed fast. There! ow I remember! :D Next on my list of things to say. Right now I feel that the fanfic isn't doing well conveying Eren and Armin's strained relationship. So let me know what you guys think? Do you think I'm doing well approaching how things are going between them? Next and last is, if you did notice I'm trying to spice up my fanfiction with bigger words and trying not to say "said" too much. Is it working? XD I finally got to use the word surreptitious and I was so happy! I've been waiting forever to use that word and I finally go to do it! YESH! Alright, that's it for me. ^_^ Enjoy the next chapter!**

**Have a great labor day weekend!**

**-Misty**

**P.S. My friend and I are in the process of making a new cover image for this story. She's an incredible artist and she's going to do the linework while I do the colors and shading. Stay turned for that! :D**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 6: Mikasa**

* * *

"So he's doing better now, right?" Thomas asked while pulling himself up into a sitting position.

"Yeah. The doctor said his blood sugar had dropped and that's why he got so sick all of a sudden. A little food took care of it." Eren, who had been sitting at Thomas's legs and holding his feet down, spoke casually.

"That's good to hear. He looked so pale in the lunch room that it was really scary." Christa mumbled while sitting by the two. Thomas dropped back down to the ground and pulled himself up again.

"He looked like he had seen death, or actually was dead for that matter." Connie had simply been walking by when he overheard the group's conversation, but none the less had decided to join in. His comment was no less than correct as well. Armin had gone completely pale and when his eyes were closed he really did look dead. It was something that made them all very worried.

"It could very well also be his head injury." Mikasa murmured by Eren's side.

"It could have been anything. The important thing is that he is feeling better." Eren mumbled back. The rest of the group all nodded whole heartedly at Eren's statement. They were glad that Armin was okay, that his sudden illness had been a simple thing, but he still didn't remember anything.

Eren looked up to see their commander standing about fifty feet away, barking at poor Berthholdt and Reiner while Annie slipped right past his peripheral vision… _Again._ Eren was glaring daggers into the back of the man's head for what he had said earlier that morning. He was sure Shadis would feel it eventually and he honestly didn't care all too much. He wasn't happy with him, not one bit. He wasn't too fond of the doctor either for keeping him in the dark about Armin and how serious of an issue his amnesia was.

His chances were indeed small, but all the same they were still there. Would Armin get his memories back in time before Shadis sent him out of the Training Corps? Even if it was something small like what he wore the day before the accident, would it be enough to convince the man?

Eren bit his lip as he thought even harder on the subject. What if Armin didn't remember something in time? Could he try and persuade Shadis into giving him more time? Now that he thought about it, it was more than unlikely for Shadis to do that, especially after Eren's sudden burst of anger towards him. It surprised him even now that Shadis didn't throw his butt into the mines after his cussing and screaming and waking everyone up.

"Hey, uh, Eren?" Thomas sat up and tugged on his feet, pulling Eren from his deep thoughts. "You're crushing my feet." Eren blinked a few times before releasing Thomas's feet. He didn't realize that with a grip like his he could have easily broken his feet had he not been wearing his boots.

"S-Sorry…" He mumbled. Thomas waved at him, waving it off like it was nothing.

"Eren, is something wrong?" Christa asked him.

"No, I was just thinking too hard. Sorry," He apologized in a low and quiet voice.

"You shouldn't do that Eren, it'll make you sick." She reprimanded. Eren gave her a sweet and genuine smile.

"Thanks, Christa. I'll try not to do that." He said. Christa smiled, seemingly creating bright lights and sparkles in her pure innocence. Eren looked away, his face flushing a little at her cuteness. He knew if Ymir had been here at that moment (and not paired up with someone else, to her displeasure) and had she seen Eren's or Connie's blushing faces, she probably would have gone after both of them.

"Alright, Eren; your turn." Thomas said. Eren sighed as he fell on his back onto the ground and put his hands under his head. Thomas held down Eren's feet as the boy started pulling himself up and then dropping back down to the ground. He figured that he'd at least try to get through training for the next hour as fast as he could. The sooner he could get to lunch, the quicker he could get to Armin. He wanted to see him, but now that his hand was healed (something that surprised the doctor, though he didn't know why) he had nothing holding him back from training. Shadis had seemed adamant about him training and he, unfortunately, couldn't refuse.

Armin wasn't fit to be training, mentally _or_ physically. He had said so his self that training may jog something for him, but later in the day they were going to practice with the titan dummies. That meant they were all going to be wielding swords and heavy 3D Maneuver Gear and soaring through the air at cutouts. Without his memories, there were so many possibilities of injury for him. Eren was the first to veto the idea, then Mikasa and then just about anyone participating in the conversation.

He pouted and sulked, his face looking very adorable and Eren almost felt like breaking his hand again so he could stay with Armin (_almost_), but he knew Armin wouldn't appreciate the self-harm. Armin had told him to go on and train and he would find something to do. Eren left reluctantly, looking back once more to see Armin starting to flip through the medical book Mikasa had been reading the night before.

'_Even without his memories, he still enjoys reading.' _That's what Eren had thought after leaving the infirmary. He himself was a little pouty, but after Shadis yelled in his face and a five mile run that was wiped away, along with his sweat. That had been a few hours ago. Now all he wanted was for lunch to start so he could be with Armin again. Mikasa said she would get their food for them and that way neither would have to wait in line or for Armin to have to leave the infirmary again, but Eren didn't want to leave her alone in such a busy place.

The doctor had given Mikasa and Eren full permission to bring Armin his food. This didn't mean anything extra, and they certainly weren't allowed to sneak any, but this just meant they could all be together in a quiet area for a while. The idea sounded heavenly; that, and then the idea of a bath. With all that had been going on he had totally forgotten about a bath. It wasn't showing just yet, but he wasn't going to skip tonight.

"One hundred," Thomas counted out loud. Eren flopped onto his back and sighed. He hadn't even noticed the numbers go by, or them being counted out loud for that matter. He was so lost now in the pleasures of eating and taking a nice bath, those and spending time with Armin.

Shadis was right on some points when he and Eren had their little spat hours before. Armin was in this world for the first time; he didn't remember anything so the way he would adapt to things would be different to how he did growing up. He was surely going to change a little and it had Eren's heart clenching within his chest. He didn't want that, not at all. He wanted Armin to be the way he was, to stay himself. He wanted him to be his book loving friend who wanted to go beyond the walls and see the outside world that was in that book his grandfather once had. The boy he knew was the one he truly cared for.

Anyone different, even the slightest, wouldn't be the same. He didn't want to lose what he had with Armin.

"Hey, Eren," Mikasa spoke.

"Yeah?" Eren looked away from the clouds to see his sister looking down at him from an angle. His sister's face was shadowed, her head blocking out the sun from his face and giving him a moment to fully open his green eyes.

"Are you thinking about what the commander said this morning?" She asked him. Eren looked to the side a little to see where the commander was. Shadis was chewing out another bunch of cadets, but he was still far enough away for Eren to speak freely.

"Do you mean about Armin?" He asked. His voice was still quiet even though they were safe from wandering ears.

"I mean about him saying Armin would be different. Is that what you're thinking about?" Mikasa leaned over Eren more and tucked from hair behind her head. It was getting long again and she was going to have to cut it at some point, probably when Eren told her to.

"… Yeah." Eren looked back to his sister again, looking into her black eyes like she had answers for him. Her eyes were stoic, but she also seemed lost, just as lost as he did. "Do you think that'll happen?"

"It's hard to tell." She answered. "I think with such an environment like this it's easy for his previous self to get lost. He could be a different person." Mikasa continued. Eren sat up from under her with a sigh escaping his lips. "Is that not what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes and no. I was kind of expecting that answer, but I was also hoping for something like, "No, he'll be his usual self." Something like that. I guess that's not an easy thing to ask for, though."

"It may not be easy, but it's a humble thing. I miss Armin just as much as you do." Mikasa rubbed the back of Eren's hand gently, still not one hundred percent sure that everything in Eren's hand was fine, and so she was hesitant letting him even train. "And besides, we're sitting here twiddling our fingers with anxiety and we could be panicking for nothing. Armin could remember everything in the next five minutes and we would have worried for nothing." Mikasa assured.

Eren looked up at her and smiled again. Her words were definitely calming and reassuring to him. He felt as if his spirits had been lifted up slightly, out of the rubble of hope he once had down in the pit of his stomach. Now he didn't feel as depressed.

"So let's stop worrying. I'm sure Armin will be fine. He'll get his memories back before the week is even up and everything will be back to normal." Mikasa patted Eren's back lovingly.

"Thanks, Mikasa," Eren said.

"I wish I had a sister or a brother to talk to like that." Christa whined while she clasped her hands together by her chest. Eren and Mikasa both smiled at her as the bell for lunch finally rang. Eren let out a loud, heavy groan through another loud and heavy breath. He stood up from the ground and patted off his uniform from the dirt as Mikasa did the same.

The two then left slowly, walking by each other's sides as the whole Training Corps raced each other to the mess hall. They didn't bother racing anyone because it was childish and immature. Sure they were hungry, and racing to get a better spot in line would mean getting their food quicker, but they knew that getting their food in a proper way was more gratifying.

At least that's what Mikasa said.

Any other time would have been fine for him, but Eren wanted to get his and Armin's food so they could eat together. He had been so enwrapped in the idea earlier that he wanted to get past all of the boring stuff and get to what he had been picturing. Maybe the three could sneak away to some place other than the infirmary, somewhere quiet in the forest and they could make a picnic out of it, that way they'd be totally alone. Maybe they could tell Armin about things he wanted to know or maybe they could simply just talk, talk about anything in particular or about how each other's day was going. The whole idea of it made it seem like things were almost normal, though they weren't.

Mikasa noticed the small jump in his pace when they got to the stairs of the mess hall. They got into the hall and fell into line, but she could still seem him fidget just a little more than usual. He seemed to dance back and forth on his feet, something one wouldn't notice unless standing right next to him. His hands were behind his back, his fingers tangling and his hands squeezing together a couple of times. He kept looking back and forth, as if looking for something or someone in particular, but Mikasa was sure she knew the reason for his fidgety behavior.

"Eren, you should relax." She said calmly.

"I am relaxed…" Eren muttered distractedly. Mikasa took one of Eren's hands in her own and rubbed it a little, trying to get his attention.

"What's wrong, Eren?" Mikasa questioned. Eren looked over to the food in the line before looking back to Mikasa.

"Hm…?" He shook his head a little.

"Eren, you're so distracted." Mikasa almost let a small giggle slip her lips… Almost.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Eren rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are you thinking about what Shadis said again?" She asked.

"No, no not this time." Eren chuckled quietly as he looked away.

"What are you thinking about this time?" Mikasa asked. Eren hummed a little before silently admitting defeat to himself. Mikasa wouldn't leave him alone until he told her so he might as well just spill it.

"I was just thinking about lunch…" He mumbled.

"And?" Mikasa asked. Yeah, he had a feeling that she would know he was skipping out on things.

"I mean, just going to the infirmary to eat lunch with Armin and getting a chance to be alone." Eren mumbled quietly so no one would hear him.

"I didn't know I was excluded from this lunch." Mikasa countered back.

"W-What? No; that's not what I meant!" Eren exclaimed and his voice cracked when it went too high. His high pitched exclamation was heard by a few people who then gave him odd stares. He blushed, turned a little so that his body was faced more to the wall and glared at Mikasa. "You know that's not what I meant." He complained.

Mikasa was smiling now; well, it was more of a smirk. It was soft, but still there all the same. Eren scoffed and if it was anyone other than Mikasa (or Armin) he probably would have thrown a punch.

"I-I just meant that I was thinking we could just spend time with him and we could just talk. Maybe we could help him remember something." Eren suggested. Mikasa smiled softer this time and dropped Eren's hand.

"It's a good idea, Eren." She said. Eren huffed out his embarrassment as the two moved forward in the line.

It had taken at least ten minutes to get their food. The line had been long and people were pushy. Some had cut in some places, which had annoyed Eren to know end, especially when they did it multiple times and didn't get caught. They took more and more time away from their lunch which meant less time with Armin. He didn't like that at all.

At one point he nearly yelled at someone, but Mikasa stopped him. She calmed him down, told him to keep his patience and as an extra measure she held his arm between her. It looked more like they were linking their arms together, but Eren would easily disagree with the painful grip Mikasa had on his arm.

Finally they had gotten their food. Mikasa had offered to hold Armin's portion of food, but Eren ignored her and carried it on his tray. Armin was given a small loaf of bread and soup, same as most, but he also had a small extra helping of vegetables in his soup. Eren at first thought that someone was aware of his situation and had given him extras, but then his eyes found Mikasa trailing her eyes along the food, as if inspecting it.

"I thought he said no stealing…" Eren whispered.

"He also said Armin had a week. I'm just playing his game." Mikasa whispered back. Eren chuckled and smirked; Mikasa had her own ways of being devious, hers just happened to be more surreptitious.

"So it's a game, is it?" Eren asked. Mikasa opened her mouth to answer, but she noticed from the corner of her eyes that someone was waving to her. She turned her head to see Marco at their usual table waving his hand to her.

She walked over to the table and Eren followed. The two joined the table where Jean and Marco were sitting, sharing smiling faces and Jean getting a few last chuckles out because of a joke. Eren completely ignored him, still holding a grudge against Jean for this morning.

"Hey you guys," Marco greeted.

"Hey, Marco." Eren purposely left out Jean in hopes of irritating him. Mikasa opened her mouth to greet the two of them, but another something was in the corner of her eye. She sighed with irritation; nothing would leave her alone today. She looked over to the side, ready to send an angry glare to whomever it was trying to get her attention, but that look was swept away and replaced with surprise.

Armin was by the mess hall door and was waving at her. His blue eyes were wide and he seemed frantic, anxious even, like something was wrong and he needed help. Mikasa set her tray down and snuck away from the group, them unknowing to her disappearance.

"Hey, could you give this to Armin?" Marco held up his own loaf of bread to Eren and Eren looked at him with a confused expression.

"Why are you giving us this?" Eren asked. Jean sent a leering grin in Marco's direction and the boy seemed to blush slightly, like there was an inside joke between the two that Eren didn't understand.

"Well I felt bad that Armin got hurt and I haven't gotten the chance to see him since yesterday and talk to him. I wanted you guys to give this to him though so he can get his strength up and feel better, and so I feel that I'm doing something to help him." Marco said with a sheepish smile. Eren took the bread from him and nodded his head, his own lips forming a soft smile.

"Yeah, I'll do that, Marco. I'll let him know that you're thinking about him too." He said. Marco nodded his head and pulled up his drink to his lips, but just before he could sip it, Jean's hand connected with the back of his head and pushed the drink into his mouth, ultimately spilling it on himself.

"You're such a kind soul, Marco." Jean bit out of his own bread and said. Eren scoffed at him and turned to leave, but he noticed something was missing. That something was Mikasa.

He noticed at the end of the table her tray was set down, her food untouched and getting cold, or rather, _colder_. He looked around the mess hall, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. He turned to look at the doors to the mess hall to see a flash of her black hair go by, but only that before it was gone.

"I'll be right back." Eren set his tray with his and Armin's food down on the table by hers as he spoke. Marco and Jean both shot confused glances at him, but before they could question him he was gone.

Eren slipped past the tables in the room to the doors and left, but no one was outside the mess hall. He walked down the hallway, though, hearing voices in the distance. He stopped at the corner, thinking that maybe whoever was talking would want their privacy, but then he heard the distinct, bored and apathetic tone of Mikasa herself talking and then someone talking back.

"-and some things about the titans; it's all foggy but it's still there and it's coming back to me!"

There was Armin's voice, speaking fast and light like he was out of breath. What was he talking about? Fuzzy parts? Was he referring to him memories?

Eren pressed his back against the wall as he listened more intently to the conversation.

"Are those the only things you remember?" Mikasa asked.

"Only those moments, yeah, but this is great, isn't it?" Armin confirmed and then asked.

So it was true. Armin was starting to get his memories back. Eren felt his heart start pounding within his chest and he had to grip his jacket to keep it from beating out of his chest. The relief was indescribable for him. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing, but it was going on right behind the hallway wall. Eren felt like he was about ready to jump out and hug Armin with all of his might while trying his best not to cry tears of joy, but they continued talking.

"I don't understand though, why only me?" Mikasa asked. What did Mikasa mean by only her? Eren heard steps being taken, but not getting any closer to him.

"I don't know. It's only moments with you in them. Everything else is just foggy but any moment with you I remember clear as day." Armin muttered. Eren's furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he thought about what Armin was saying. He didn't understand what Armin meant completely, but it wasn't long before his questions were answered.

"I don't know why, but you're the only person I can remember, Mikasa."

Eren felt his heart shatter. So not only were his memories scattered or not even there, he didn't even remember him. He remembered Mikasa.

Was he upset that he didn't remember him? He sure was. Was he upset that he remembered Mikasa instead of him? Well he was upset, but he didn't want to be mad at Mikasa. She didn't do anything wrong and neither did Armin. Even knowing that, though, he still felt angry.

He felt blinded by pain a whole lot worse than a physical injury. He felt guilty again and he felt sad. He felt so many emotions flush over his young body that he didn't even know the names of some of them. All he knew was that his heart was aching and he was in pain. He didn't like this feeling, and knowing he was the reason for it in the first place…

Now he felt like crying for a whole different reason. He lowered his head and walked away, not wanting to hear anymore. Mikasa turned her head to the sound of footsteps and grimaced. She didn't want her brother following her, but he did, just like she was sure he would. She was sure that he had heard everything that they had just said as well.

"Is something wrong, Mikasa?" Armin asked, his smile fading a tad when he noticed the look on Mikasa's face. She looked back at him and shook her head. "What is it?" He asked. Mikasa sighed as she held Armin's shoulder within her hand with a firm, but still comforting grip.

"This isn't necessarily a good thing." She said with a frown.

"It isn't?" Armin asked. "B-But I thought this was what you wanted, what everyone wanted." Armin concluded. Mikasa smiled weakly and rubbed his shoulder.

"I do want you to remember things and so does everybody else, but if you were given the chance to remember someone again, I'd want you to remember Eren, not me." She said. Armin shook his head a little, not understanding what she meant by that.

"Eren…? But why him?" Armin pried while looking down at his feet. "I don't get it…"

"I don't think you fully grasp the relationship you and Eren had yet." Mikasa replied. "You two have something very special, and when he finds out that you don't remember him, but remember me in his stead…" Mikasa trailed off. She decided to leave out the part about Eren already overhearing them. Either Armin would find out on his own or not at all, but it wasn't something worrying over. "Eren would be heartbroken."

"I really wish I could understand this whole thing." Armin mumbled quietly. "It's not like I don't want to remember him, I just can't. I want to remember him, I really do." Armin's eyes got a little teary.

"I know you do." Mikasa said. She patted his head, his blond hair being ruffled before he looked up at her with his red eyes.

"I-I was so happy… When I woke up and there were bits of my life that I remembered… And seeing you in them made me happy, because that meant that they weren't just something my mind was making up, but now I…I don't know how to feel." A stray tear lingered in the corner of his eye and Mikasa wiped it away. "What am I going to do, Mikasa?" Armin asked with wide, pleading eyes.

Mikasa shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. She didn't have much of an answer for him and it wasn't like anything she said would work anyway. It all depended on how his brain healed and what memories were intact and what other memories weren't. For all she knew the memories he knew now were the only ones he would ever remember. The rest could be damaged or gone, to never be returned properly or at all.

There were so many variables to deal with and she didn't know how to go about any of them.

"I don't know," Mikasa answered honestly. Armin lowered his eyes, his shoulders sulking.

"None of this is fair…" He muttered to himself. Mikasa sighed as Armin walked forward and rested his head down on her shoulder. She had never been one good for talking and helping people with their problems, but this was Armin, and right now Armin was suffering from amnesia. What could she possibly say to make things right?

At that, she could quickly think the answer was no. There was no way she could make anything right. Time was the only thing that had the answers, the only thing that they had to live with at the moment, but without knowing how much time it would take, it left them in the dark.

The only thing she could think of was to keep feeding him her and Eren's memories and hoping that something would eventually click for him. At some point something had to be familiar, if anything. The little thought gave Mikasa an idea.

"… Go talk to Eren." She said after a few moments of quiet, subtracting the cadets in the mess hall still eating. Armin looked up at her, giving her a perplexed look, as if asking for an explanation as to why he should do that. "Maybe talking to him will jog something." She explained.

Armin looked at the wall behind her for a moment before nodding his head, to show that he heard her, but truth be told, he was a little frightened by Eren. Frightened and intimidated. Even though he had woken up to Eren's big, green and hopeful eyes and a bright smile on his face, minutes later he had scared him with his seemingly frightening rage. Had he known then that it wasn't rage but fear in the form of rage he probably wouldn't have been so scared, but it was too late and the damage had been done. He didn't want to be afraid of Eren, but the lingering memory of him acting so crazy scared him.

He still decided he'd do it, though. He wanted to talk with Eren more, to get to know him better and understand the things between them that made them as good of friends as Mikasa said they were.

That and it wasn't like he had anything better to do. It was either that or go and read the medical book in the infirmary.

Armin had learned something rather interesting about himself, though, while he got all of that time to himself. He was a very fast reader. He had gotten through six chapters of the book within two hours, and they weren't light chapters with lots of pictures either. Not only had he read everything so fast, he had retained most of it.

Despite this, though, he would still rather go talk to Eren than read the book anymore. It wasn't an easy read; lots of big words and despite the little pictures in the book, the pictures that were there were either so gory he couldn't look at them or just completely confused and grossed him out.

"Do you think it'll help?" Armin hesitantly asked.

"It's not like it could make anything worse." Mikasa rolled her eyes a little as she spoke with a small, sarcastic tone. Armin smiled and nodded his head.

"I guess it can't." Armin rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand to get rid of the tears in the back of his eyes. Mikasa patted his head one last time before making the smaller boy stand up straight and on his own two feet. She bent her head a little and looked into his eyes, giving him a comforting looking.

"It's okay, Armin." She said reassuringly. Armin smiled more, but now he felt like crying more. He had to hold back the tears plaguing his eyes with a burning sensation and he didn't like it. He distantly wondered if he was naturally a cry baby, because for a boy of fifteen he seemed to do a lot of crying. "Now hurry up. Go find Eren and talk to him." Mikasa said.

"What do I say? I don't know how to talk to him… I-I barely know anything about him." Armin whimpered.

"Learn." Mikasa said. That was the last thing out of her mouth before she turned and went back to the dining hall, leaving a weak and defenseless Armin to think about what she had said.

* * *

**A/N: *brick comes out of nowhere* Gah! No don't hit me with flying objects! D: *hides under table***


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Huh... Longest chapter yet... Oh well. DID YOU PEOPLE SEE EPISODE TWENTY ONE?! OHMYGODICRIEDLIKEABABYOHGODERENANDMIKASAKICKEDSERI OUSASSSHEWASSOPISSEDLEVIONEOFTHESEDAYSSHE'SGOINGTO KILLYOUFORSTOPPINGHERIKNOWSHEWILL! I read the manga so I know what happens... But still. XD That soundtrack they played when she went after the female titan was so beautiful. I want that soundtrack. And they did such a great job conveying the emotions Mikasa went through. Honestly, this anime would not be an anime without the talent of those voice actors. XD Okay, I'm done ranting and raving. There were other things I wanted to say but forgot... _Again_. Poor me. XD Fun facts for you all:**

**1) I'm starting on another Eremin fanfic. (It'll be three chapters long and will be uploaded after this one is finished)**

**2) I'm working on a Ereri fanfic (Will be uploaded when this is done)**

**3) I made a Erekasa (Or mikaeren I don't know XD) AMV and you should watch it here: watch?v=WoI3Mesj660**

**4) I just remembered what I wanted to tell you.. And then forgot again.**

**I am done. Done. Done. Done. XD I'll tell you now that for sure for the next two days there won't be any updates because I have a lot of work, but then after that it's all good. ^^ Just telling you~**

**-Misty**

**P.S. Please continue to support me by review and favoriting my fanfiction. ^_^**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 7: Jean and Marco**

* * *

Eren wiped his eyes against the back of his hands, ridding them of the burning tears threatening to fall. He tried taking deep breathes, but they came out shaky and unsteady. He couldn't particularly see straight and his head was killing him it hurt so much. He was tired of this, tired of the pain and tired of the confusion. The guilt was eating away at him and making his hair fall out, and now to add to it all, Armin doesn't remember him.

He remembers Mikasa.

Yes, he had overheard. He had overheard Armin admitting to the memories he had, but only of Mikasa, and now his heart was breaking. What if what Shadis had said was true? What if Armin was a different person, and a different person he'd remain? What if Eren never got his friend back? Would he have to live his life with the horrific fact that Eren practically killed his best friend?

Eren didn't want to think about it. Thinking about it hurt his head even more and at this point he was about ready to go to the doctor and ask for medicine. He didn't want to have to think about anything at all at the moment. He wanted to just sit against the trunk of the tree he was against and sleep. Was that too much to ask for?

"Eren…?"

Apparently so.

Eren opened his eyes and looked around the trunk of the large tree to see Armin standing a few feet away, his hands behind his back and tugging on the end of his vest. He was looking down at his feet, but every now and again he'd look up with his big blue eyes and stare through his bangs at Eren.

Eren looked away and rubbed his face with his hands, trying to get rid of the remaining tears that were on his cheeks and chin. He then stretched his arms above his head and yawned, hoping that if Armin saw any signs of Eren crying, he'd only mistake it as sleepy tears. Armin only frowned. He wasn't an idiot. He could see the truth. Armin slowly walked over to where Eren was and stood by him. Looking down at him as Eren sniffled a few times.

"Is it okay if I can sit down?" Armin asked. Eren cleared his throat and nodded his head.

"Of course you can." He said. He was glad that his voice wasn't too wobbly to throw off his (nonexistent) ruse.

Armin took his seat by Eren, the grass under him cold but comforting. He pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his chin on his boney knees. He was close to Eren, but he was also at, what he presumed, was a safe distance. They were far enough away that they wouldn't brush against each other if they relaxed in their spots.

Eren looked over to Armin without moving his head. He could see the boy's muscles tense in his shoulders and arms slightly and Eren frowned, wondering why that was. Could it be that he was cold?

"So, um…" Armin mumbled under his arms. Eren tilted his head to the side as Armin fidgeted in his spot a little. His arms tightened around his knees while he looked at a little bug crawling on the end of his shoe.

"So…?" Eren continued to watch as his friend shifted around in the grass.

"I, uh… I wanted to tell you something." Armin hesitantly said. Eren felt something drop into the pit of his stomach. So was Armin going to come right out and say it? That seemed like such a steep decision from someone like him, but then Eren remembered that this wasn't the same person he knew. This much was already proven.

Eren wasn't sure if he was ready to hear those words come out of his mouth, at least, not again. He hadn't been ready the first time and he wasn't ready for it now. Could he even attempt to hear it without breaking down and crying again? It was enough that Armin saw him crying once; he didn't need it happening again.

"I already know what you're going to say." Eren stopped him before Armin could say anymore. The boy lifted his head up, his eyes questioning Eren while Eren looked away. He couldn't stare at his friend like that, especially when Armin was looking back with such an intense gaze.

"You do?" Armin asked.

"Yeah…" Eren let his legs lay out in front of him to stretch. He sighed while leaning his head back, still feeling Armin's eyes on him. "I overheard you and Mikasa talking… About how you remember her." Eren's voice slowly dropped while he tried to keep it together, to keep himself from crying. He felt the knot in his stomach make its way up to his throat and then get stuck, suffocating him.

"Oh…" Armin mumbled. Eren swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat, but it wasn't working. He felt like he was getting sick to this stomach, like he was going to vomit. "I see…"

"You don't have to tell me about it." Eren said. Armin finally looked away and some of the pressure Eren had felt was released. He let out another heavy sigh, happy to get some of the weight off of his shoulders.

"Alright then… But that wasn't what I wanted to tell you." Armin said. Eren looked over to Armin, his eyes wide with surprise and his face showing it even more.

So he had been wrong. Armin had something else to say and now he felt stupid. He went through that emotional crap to find out that Armin had something else totally in mind.

"Uh…" Eren couldn't think of anything else to say, anything else to do. He was completely dumbfounded. "S-So then… What was it you were going to say?" Eren looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Shadis is going to let me watch one of the training sessions after lunch." Armin declared. Eren blinked a few times, completely confused and surprised. He was at a complete loss for words at the moment. He kept opening his mouth, trying to say what he wanted to say (Did he even know what he wanted to say?) but nothing was coming out. He'd then close his mouth, trying to not look as stupid as a fish in the hot sun without water.

After a few moments of this awkward silence, Armin gave him a confused look of his own. He scooted away, a little nervous to be near Eren when he looked like that. Seeing this finally snapped Eren out of his delusions.

"W-When did you do that?" He finally asked. Armin felt the tension slip away and he smiled a little.

"Not too long ago." Armin relaxed a little and let go of his legs to place his hands in the cool grass by his hips. "It was just after I talked to Mikasa. I wanted to make sure I did that before I came to see you."

"Why would you want to watch the training?" Eren asked. A soft breeze past the two and the last of the tension seemed to slip away on that breeze. Armin leaned back against the trunk of the old tree and smiled as the breeze rushed by some of his blond hair.

"I thought maybe something would seem familiar… It's the least he could do. He's only giving me a week anyway." Armin said. The mention of the time they had left made Eren feel sick again. He didn't want to hear about it.

"But then…" He trailed off. Armin looked at him and noticed the turmoil hidden away behind Eren's eyes. "Why did you want to tell me?" Eren asked while looking down at his hands.

Armin sat up in his spot and sighed. His hands sat in his lap and tangled together as he thought about it. Why did he want to tell Eren? Why indeed. He remembered that after talking to Shadis he wanted to tell Eren, but at the same time he felt like he _had _to. He felt like he had an obligation to do it and he wanted to talk to Eren.

Was it only because it was a good excuse to talk to Eren? He really didn't know.

"I think… Because it gave me an excuse to talk to you." Armin had a feeling he wasn't one good at lying. He wasn't sure why, he just had that feeling about himself. With that being said, he didn't see any reason to lie to Eren in the first place.

"Um… I don't think I quite understand…" Eren scooted closer to his friend, but still had enough distance between them so they wouldn't touch.

"What is it you don't understand?" Armin asked. Eren was glad to see that Armin didn't seem upset by the lack of space between them now.

"Well, why would you want to talk to me in the first place?" He asked. Armin tilted his head to the side, silently questioning him. "I mean, you're starting to get your memories back. Shouldn't you be with Mikasa since…?" Eren trailed off again, his words mixing with the pain he was feeling.

"Since what?" Armin scooted closer too so he could be next to Eren.

"S-Since your mind seems to be remembering her, I thought you would want to be around her. Maybe doing that would jog you memories better." Eren said the rest quietly. Armin looked up into the sky past the leaves and watched a cloud slowly go above their heads.

"I thought about that too." He murmured.

"So then why didn't you do it?" Eren asked. With the closeness that neither seemed to notice, Armin dropped his head down onto Eren's shoulder. Eren stiffened from the sudden contact, but Armin seemed more than comfortable with it. He moved closer so more of his body could rest on Eren and the brown haired boy unconsciously wrapped his arm around Armin's shoulder. Armin smiled at the comfort and sighed.

"Honestly…?" Armin questioned. Eren nodded his head, the motion being felt by Armin's head. "At first I thought it was a good idea, but… Mikasa said that the time spent should be with you." He said in a breathily manner.

"Mikasa said that?" Eren asked. A part of him was surprised, but another part wasn't so much. Armin nodded his head and Eren felt that too.

"I didn't understand it at first, but… I think I agree with her." He mumbled.

"Agree with what?" Eren's other hand slowly found Armin's waist and wrapped around it, pulling the smaller boy close and laying his head on top of his friends. Armin opened his eyes a little, noticing the sensation against him, and it felt…

_Familiar._

"That I'd rather spend time with you," Armin whispered as he looked up at Eren. Eren lifted his head off of Armin's and looked down, his green eyes locking with Armin's big blue eyes and his breath catching in his throat. Armin was looking at him with such a pleading look, his eyes seemingly tired but clouded. His bangs were gently resting on his forehead, the small breeze sometimes brushing a few wisps of it away. One certain breeze had even Eren's hair wisp slightly, but Armin's hair got into his eyes.

Eren reached forward, like what he was about to do didn't seem odd in any way, and pushed the blond hair away and behind his ear. He looked back to Armin and noticed that his normally pale cheeks held a hint of a pink color in them.

He was blushing.

Eren didn't realize how odd of an action it was that he just preformed, but now that he thought about it, it must have been odd for Armin, especially since Eren was like a stranger to him. He frowned and looked away, knowing that by now Armin was probably crept out.

"What's wrong?" Armin asked, his voice quiet but questioning. Eren shook his head. He wanted to move away, knowing that Armin was probably uncomfortable with the closeness (even though he started it) and knowing that it was wrong to do this thing to someone like Armin who couldn't remember a thing.

"Sorry…" Eren mumbled. "I was just…" He trailed off.

"Thinking too hard?" Armin finished for him in a questioning tone. Eren smiled sheepishly at the comment.

"Yeah…" He mumbled.

"You tend to do that a lot, don't you?" Armin asked with his own smile. Eren nodded his head, his smile getting wider. Armin moved in closer and rested his head on Eren's shoulder. He didn't understand where these motions and gestures came from; they just felt right, normal even. To have something seem so familiar, but you can't place where you know it from, he didn't know what to make of it. It was annoying, that was for sure.

"Only when it's important, everything else I don't tend to overthink on." Eren said. Armin was paying attention, and he was listening, but he kept getting distracted by the familiar feeling he was getting. He tried holding back, but after a while he finally decided to let his body go on with its actions and do what it seemed to think was acceptable. His mind may not have remembered anything, but his body sure did.

He rubbed his forehead against Eren's shoulder, his skin and hair just barely brushing against a part of Eren's shoulder that wasn't covered by his shirt and jacket. His own arm had done the same as Eren's and wrapped around his waist, lazily sitting against his hip while Armin relaxed against the taller body of Eren's. He breathed in slowly, taking in Eren's natural scent (another thing that seemed familiar) and breathed out heavily. Eren wrapped his arm around Armin's shoulders and ran his hand through Armin's hair, completely forgetting about the personal space that Armin probably wanted, but wasn't asking for. Armin let out a low hum from the sensation, almost like a purr if he were a cat.

Eren laughed a little, something that made Armin's heart jump. It pounded within his chest to hear such a happy and heavenly laugh. His blush only got darker as he looked up at Eren; his eyes open wide in amazement. Eren looked down at him, giving him an odd look in question. Armin moved closer, his lips searching for something, but he didn't know what.

Just then the sound of a bell rang through the air. The two boys looked up in the sky, and though Armin was clueless as to what the bell was sounding for, Eren only sighed, his arms unraveling themselves from Armin's body. He slowly stood up, Armin frowning at the sudden chill that went up his body. He hadn't realized how warm Eren was until that heat was gone, but he didn't say anything. He watched while still sitting on the ground as Eren stretched his arms behind his back and groaned.

"Aw man, lunch is over already…" He rubbed his neck as he spoke. "Come to think of it, I never got any lunch." He muttered to himself.

"I'm sorry," Armin apologized while pushing himself onto his feet.

"For what?" Eren asked.

"Y-You could've eaten if it wasn't for me." Armin mumbled and looked away. He felt so ashamed of himself.

"That's not true, Armin. Don't blame yourself for that." Eren patted Armin's shoulder with a smile and said.

"Is there any way they will let you have a little more time so you can eat?" Armin asked, hopeful.

"This is war, Armin, not school." Eren playfully chastised. Armin tried to brush it off, but he still felt guilty for taking up so much of Eren's valuable time. "You should go eat though. You need to keep up your strength." Eren said.

"N-No," Armin cursed at himself for stuttering. "I mean, if you aren't going to have lunch then I won't. Besides, I want to watch you guys train." Armin explained.

"You and I are two totally different cases, Armin. I can skip a meal, that's fine, but you can't."

"I'm not going." Armin argued.

"Armin-"

"No." He asserted. "I'll be fine." Armin gave Eren a determined look and Eren only sighed in defeat.

"I guess I can't change your mind, can I?" Eren smiled a half-cocked side smile and started walking away. Armin smiled and started following, keeping close to Eren.

The two made their way out of that peaceful little area and Armin followed Eren since he knew where he was going. The two of them walked at their own pace until the other cadets came into view. They were all gathering by an open training area, talking amongst themselves and sharing laughs and smiles with each other. The sheer amount of people was enough to throw Armin off into an uncomfortable state. Eren noticed this and nudged Armin forward. The sudden movement had Armin panic and fly right back to Eren's body.

"It's okay, Armin. You _do_ know most of these people." Eren reminded with a smile. Armin peeked up from Eren's training jacket and looked around. He didn't like some of the stares he was getting from people and he didn't like being out in the open like this when he was receiving those stares.

"People are staring at me." He mumbled into Eren's jacket.

"Half of them are worried about you, others are wondering what you're doing here when you're supposed to be resting." Eren explained. He patted Armin's head, trying to reassure him and make him feel better. "And the last of them are wondering why you're clinging onto me like this." He joked. Armin blushed, but finally stepped back so he could stop making a scene and getting everyone's attention.

"There you two are." Eren turned his head to the side, but Armin didn't look. He knew it was Mikasa walking up to them, dressed from head-to-toe with all of her gear, swords still sheathed.

"Hey, Mikasa." Eren greeted. She waved at Eren and stood by the two.

"I never saw you come back from lunch. What happened to you guys?" She asked. Armin's cheeks blushed a little more, but Eren could see something lingering in her jaw. A smile? No, possibly a smirk.

"We were just talking with each other." Eren shrugged his shoulders and said. Somehow, though, he felt like he was missing some sort of inside joke with the way Mikasa kept looking over to Armin with that smirk hiding behind her frown.

"Eren, you better get your gear before Shadis gets here." She reminded. Eren looked down at himself and then back up, realization dawning on him quickly.

"Oh, right. I'll be right back then." He said and left. Armin wanted to follow him, but if Eren said he'd be right back then he would. He could simply wait for him, but Armin wasn't too comfortable with that.

"What did you talk about?" Mikasa asked out of the blue. Armin shrugged a little and shook his head.

"We didn't really talk about anything. I mean we did, but nothing that seemed to do me any good." Armin was looking down at his feet the entire time, afraid to look up and see the look on Mikasa's face. "I didn't find out much about him." He said.

"I see…" Mikasa mumbled. She could see a few of their friends noticing them and walking over, so she knew she couldn't get into too much detail about what they talked about. "What were some things you talked about?" She asked.

"… We, uh, we talked about how I was going to watch training today… How Eren thinks too hard about things… Honestly, we really didn't talk much." Armin let his feet play with some of the dirt under them, gathering it up and stepping on it as he talked.

"So then what did you two do?" Mikasa didn't want to rush, but she could see the others coming their way.

"We just kind of sat there and… Um… T-There was something I noticed though." Armin felt the heat in his cheeks when he remembered some of the feelings he felt when he was with Eren.

"What's that?"

"W-When I was with Eren, I felt…" Armin swallowed and his feet stopped moving so he could have full concentration on his words. "I-I felt like I… Like I wanted to kis-"

"Armin, Mikasa…!" The two jumped at the sound of Sasha calling their names. Mikasa turned away from Armin, more than annoyed to have their conversation interrupted, but not letting it show. Armin felt his heart beating painfully in his chest, his cheeks red with embarrassment and with the thoughts that had gone through his mind.

He couldn't have been happier that they interrupted.

"Hey," Mikasa greeted, but even she'd admit that she did it rather curtly.

"Armin, it's good to see you up and moving." Christa said in her light and happy voice. Without thinking about it, she held out her arms for him and hugged him gently. He returned it, though, unlike Eren, he wasn't too comfortable with the touch. Armin smiled at the comment and scratched the side of his head when she let go of him. He noticed Ymir standing behind her, very close behind her to be more precise, and she _did not_ look happy.

"Y-Yeah; it feels nice to be outside of that infirmary too." He mentioned.

"It must be. I think I would go crazy if I had to spend so much time in there." Connie patted Armin's shoulder and said with a grin. Again it was another touch Armin wasn't comfortable with, but he didn't let on.

"What do you do in there?" Jean asked him. "I mean, when we're out training, you must get bored. What do you do to pass the time?" He explained his question.

"W-Well I've been reading this medical book in there. It's lengthy and boring, but it's occupying my time." He chuckled a little when he heard Jean groan and saw him roll his eyes.

"Good grief; that has got to be the most boring thing in the world." He grumbled. Armin shook his head, but it was true as to it being slightly boring. He was okay with it, it was definitely a lot better than doing nothing and it was better than just sitting there and letting his imagination wander (Same thing as nothing).

"It's better than nothing at all." He voiced his thoughts.

"What's better than nothing at all?" Eren had overheard the conversation upon returning with his gear. Now he stood by Armin's side again with his hands behind his back and a questioning look. Armin turned around, and as soon as seeing Eren, he smiled again, letting relief wash over him. He was happy to be with him and not alone with the people he didn't remember (excluding Mikasa). Sure, he didn't remember Eren either, but he was more comfortable with him than anyone else.

"We were just talking about the book he was reading in the infirmary." Mikasa summarized.

"I was saying that it was better reading the book while I'm there than doing nothing at all." Armin explained. Eren nodded his head and hummed in response. He understood what he meant, but he was sure that he'd rather sleep or be bored than read a book of that size and girth.

"Hey, Shadis is coming." Connie said in a hushed tone. The group of cadets all stood attention when they saw their commander coming up to them. His eyes were dead set on Armin, however, and he didn't like the look he was receiving. He walked up to the group and they all stood straight with their fists to their hearts.

"Arlert, are you ready?" He asked. Armin swallowed nervously and nodded his head.

"Y-Yes sir."

What was it he was ready for again? Oh right, to watch training.

Shadis stepped back to go over the rules with the rest of the hundred and fourth Training Corps. Armin was shivering with fright and nervousness all at the same time. He didn't like the way Shadis looked at him; he looked like he wanted to kill the poor boy.

"Are you okay, Armin?" Christa asked.

"Y-Yes, I think so." Armin mumbled.

"It's alright, Armin. He's not going to do anything to you." Eren assured. Armin looked over to Eren with sad eyes, still shaking, but Eren's words were helping. He felt a little better, though he really didn't know what he had in store for him.

He didn't remember what a titan looked like and he wasn't sure if he was ready to see one. And this gear they had on, it was large and completely metal and the swords were long and frightening to see. It must have been heavy,

"Shadis is scary, but he's not cold hearted." Connie said, but then looked over to Sasha. "Well, unless you're Sasha and you eat on the first day of training." He joked. Armin wasn't paying attention to his friend though. He was more worried about what was going to happen and what he was going to see.

"Armin, are you going to be okay?" Eren bent down to eye level with Armin and looked in his eyes. He reached out a hand to feel Armin's forehead, feeling for any fever or cold sweat, but nothing was there. Armin nodded his head, a hum from his throat as a response, but he wasn't all too sure that he was okay himself. "Maybe you can do this on another day." He suggested.

"N-No! No, I'm okay." Armin flashed a weak smile to his friend and playfully slapped Eren's hand away. "I'll be fine, so please stop worrying about me. Besides, I don't have another day to do this." Armin retorted. Eren frowned at the statement; people needed to stop reminding him about that.

"Alright, all cadets line up! Wait for the flare and then get moving!" Commander Shadis boomed. Armin nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his voice roaring over everyone.

Everyone began the lineup. Eren and Mikasa said their partings to Armin before heading to line up as well. Christa, Ymir, Connie and Sasha all left after some pettings on Armin's back and their departing words. Jean was the only one who lingered behind. Armin looked to him, questioning him, but all Jean did was roll his neck. The sound of his neck popping made Armin shiver.

"You know, Armin, I always questioned the alternative reason that you and Eren cling to each other so much." He said. With those as his final words he left, drawing his blades as he fell into line.

"… We… _Cling?_" Armin repeated, confused by the words.

"Arlert, let's go." Shadis said in his demanding and dangerously low voice. Armin fell to his heels like a puppy dog and followed the man as he walked away from the lineup. Armin followed him as they entered a dense area of a forest, and he didn't like it. He definitely didn't like being alone with this man while being in a forest, especially when his commander had swords the size of his body.

"Uh… Sir…?" Armin mumbled.

"What is it?"

"T-The training today… Are they fighting real titans?" Armin asked hesitantly.

"Of course not." The commander reprimanded. "If we let them train with real titans then we wouldn't have as many soldiers as we do now." His voice was stern, but it got the point across. Armin said nothing more. He was too afraid to say anything else and get put down again.

"Let's go." The commander held out his hand for Armin and Armin looked at him as if he had lost him mind.

"G-Go where, sir?" Armin asked. Shadis quietly groaned to himself before quickly scooping Armin up into his arms. Armin squeaked in response, but before he could even try and pry away from his commander, they were in the air. This resulted in him clinging to his commander and begging for him not to drop him. The sensation seemed to last for hours, but he soon felt the wind stop and heard Shadis's feet finally step onto something. He peaked from his tightly closed eyes to see that they were up in a tree (A really big tree and the branch they were on was fifteen meters away from the ground and Armin nearly screamed in surprise).

Shadis put Armin down, letting the boy cling to his cape for extra support. Armin was pushing his fingers as far into the branch as it would allow, making sure he had a sturdy grip on the tree. He really, _really_ didn't want to fall.

"You aren't going to fall, and even if you did I wouldn't let you hit the ground." The commander said. Armin remembered Connie's words about how Shadis wasn't cold hearted. He seemed to relax from it, but he didn't want to let his grip loosen. He stopped looking down at the ground and looked to Shadis to see the man pull out a gun from his holster.

"Cover your ears." Shadis said. Armin reluctantly did so, but covered his ears just before the gun went off. A spout of green smoke spurted from the gun and up into the air and lingered before slowly disintegrating into the air.

"W-What was that for?" Armin uncovered his ears and asked. The commander put his gun back into his holster and pulled up a clipboard.

'_And where was he keeping that?'_ Armin wondered to himself.

"It was the flare for them to start. Keep your eyes open and watch carefully." Shadis said. Armin gave him a confused look; watch what? Nothing was happening.

He looked out into the forest to see that in the distance was a large, fifteen meter cutout that resembled a person. He stared at it, watching as it slowly started moving on its own in circles.

"Is that the practice dummy for the titans?" Armin asked.

"Yes," Shadis answered. Armin was surprised to see it being so big. Now he knew why they were up in a tree, it was because they could see better this way.

As he continued to watch, he saw figures start to go by. Each one was one of the cadets. He saw Connie and Sasha, Ymir and Daz, Reiner and Annie, Marco and Bertholdt; all of them go by in bursts of speed. Armin was wide eyed at the sight unfolding in front of him, a smile widening on his face as his friends went by, one by one. Some of them completely ignored the dummy in front of them and went past it, further into the forest. Armin was so busy watching the ones who went after the one in front of him, though, that he didn't care where the others went.

Mikasa and Eren was the first to reach the dummy. Mikasa's quick speed got her to the dummy before Eren and with her swords she cut right through the stuffed patch of fabric on its neck. Eren went next, cutting into it, but not as deep. He cursed under his breath and swung around the moving cutout with his maneuvering gear. Christa and Ymir were with them and Ymir was laughing at Eren who completely ignored her. Why was she laughing? Because, when Christa took her turn at the cutout, even her cut was deeper than Eren's.

"Eren…" Armin murmured.

"He's off today." Shadis said. Armin looked up to his commander to see Shadis writing down on the clipboard.

"What, sir?" Armin asked.

"Eren seems to be a little distracted." Shadis raised his voice for Armin to hear him. Armin looked back at Eren, watching as he went for the nap of the cutouts neck. His next strike was deeper and Armin wanted to cheer for him, but Eren still didn't seem happy about it. "Being distracted is only hurting his performance. He's going to have to try harder if he wants better results." Shadis said.

Armin watched with his eyes wide and hopeful, praying that Eren could do it. He knew nothing about how to use that gear or what they were only aiming for that one spot on the back of the cutouts neck, but he was sure Eren knew what he was doing.

'_Come on, Eren. I know you can do it.'_ Armin thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by Jean joining them on the branch.

His landing was awful and his gear barely clung to the tree. He nearly lost his balance and fell backwards off of the tree, but he composed himself in time before that happened. He fell onto his knees, panting harshly as he dropped his swords by his sides and bent over into a hunched position.

"Kirschtein, what's going on?" Shadis asked. Armin watched as Jean sat back from his position and started fiddling with his gear. He pulled one of the gas containers from his gear (yanked really) and held it up to show a large opening in the back of it. "What happened to it?"

"I'm sorry sir. Connie and I ran into each other when going after the same dummy. His sword hit my gear and it cut a hole in it." He dropped the broken and empty container against the tree. "I barely got here with what I had in this one." Jean patted the other container to his right hip and smiled.

"We'll have to get you a new one then. I've never heard of such a thing happening during training." Shadis mumbled, a little in disbelief.

"A-Are you okay, Jean?" Armin sat up and asked. Jean groaned a little, but his grin proved he was fine.

"Yeah, I'm good. Don't worry too much about me, Armin." He said and waved at the smaller boy. Armin sat back as Jean leaned against the branch of the tree, his muscles relaxing from the exertion of energy. He leaned his head back and sighed and Armin watched him closely. "What; do I have something on my face?" Jean asked.

"N-No, it's just… Weren't you scared?" Armin asked.

"Of what?" Jean gave him a wired look.

"You could've gotten hurt. Aren't you afraid of that?" Armin asked, scooting closer so he could have his full attention on Jean.

"Psh, hell nah. Being afraid of that in this line of work will only get me killed. Besides, I'm one year away from getting into the military police. I'm not dying anytime soon." Jean laughed at himself and tossed his broken canister down to the ground.

Those words… Sounded so familiar. So, so familiar. Armin sat back on his heels, replaying them over and over again. He…

"-Remember that…" Armin mumbled.

"Eh?" Jean looked over to him and squawked. Armin's blue eyes widened as those words sunk into his head.

"I remember that… Jean, I remember that!" Armin quickly reached forward and grabbed a surprised Jean's shoulders with his small hands. "I remember that! I remember when you said it the first time, because you want to live within the walls and live a comfortable life! And Marco! Marco wants the same thing!"

Armin couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. His eyes were filled to the brim with tears of happiness and joy. He remembered someone, another person. No, not just one person, he remembered Marco too. He remembered the playful banter between the two or Jean's sometimes snooty personality. He remembered what they both wanted and he remembered them through their years of training.

"Jean, I remember you!" Armin cheered.

"Eren!" The panicked cry came from Mikasa. The two looked away from each other and back to the training field just in time to see Eren fly head first into the head of the cutout and fall to the ground. All the previous happiness Armin felt flooded away as he watched Eren fall fifteen meters to the ground.

"Eren...!" He cried from where he now stood.

"Both of you stay here." Their commander dropped the clipboard and got ready to leave them behind.

"No wait!" Armin grabbed the back of his commanding officers jacket and pulled, stopping the man. "I have to go too! I need to make sure Eren is alright…" Shadis turned around, his eyes glaring daggers at Armin, though it wasn't his intention. Armin's voice fell quiet and he stepped away, fearing for his life.

"I'll take you down, Armin." Jean offered.

"Don't bother, Kirschtein." Shadis was already picking Armin up in his arms by the time Jean got to his feet. "Your gear is broken anyway." He chastised and leapt from the branch. Armin was so worried for Eren that he didn't bother to close his eyes as they descended to the ground. As soon as Shadis's feet touched the ground, Armin pushed himself out of his arms and bolted for Eren.

"Eren!" He called out. He saw Eren sitting up from the ground and Mikasa sitting right by him, holding his arm close to her while she was practically whimpering.

"M-Mikasa stop that, that hurts." Eren tried pulling his arm away from her, but he was too dazed and too tired to struggle too much.

"We need to keep pressure on your wound." She said. The panic was obvious in her voice.

Armin did a sliding stop by his friends, his hands reaching out for Eren and grabbing his friend's shoulders.

"Eren, what happened?" Armin was just as, if not _more_, panicked than Mikasa. He looked to the arm Mikasa was holding against her chest to see blooding seeping through his jacket sleeve. "You're hurt!"

"I'm okay, really I am." Eren tried shaking it off. Shadis slowly walked over to the forming group of cadets and listened in on what they were saying.

"Eren, what happened to you?" Armin turned Eren's face so he'd look at him and asked. He wasn't in the mood for playing around.

"I flew right into its head and just… Ow… My sword went through my arm when I hit the ground."

"Is anything broken?" Shadis asked.

"No, I don't think so." Eren tried standing up, but winced when his leg ached. It wasn't broken or else he would have howled in pain, but it definitely hurt.

By this point, anyone within earshot had dropped down to see what had happened. Ymir and Christa had already been there, so they were there as fast as Mikasa had been. Marco and Annie had been nearby and when they heard Mikasa scream and they came bolting over. Jean got down on his own, eventually, and by the time he was with them, Connie, who had been coming by to make sure Jean got there okay, saw the whole thing and was there in a flash.

"Let me see your arm." Shadis bent down by Eren and gently took his arm into his big hands. Mikasa was reluctant, but she relinquished her grip and possession of Eren's arm over to him. Shadis was extremely careful when pulling up the sleeve of Eren's jacket, and for good reasons too. When he did, some of the torn skin slid up with the jacket. The sword hadn't gone straight through his arm, more like it had simply fallen on it. None the less, the damage was extensive. There wasn't a doubt in anyone's minds that it was going to need stitches.

The sight nearly sent Armin into a fit of vomiting while Mikasa clenched her fists by her sides. Armin calmed himself long enough to pull his vest off of him and handed it to Shadis.

"Here, use this to cover it up." He said with a pale face. Their commander took it from him and did as told. Eren protested, not wanting Armin's vest to get covered in his blood, but he didn't have the strength to protest for long. Shadis did what he could to cover his arm, but the gash was long and deep and the blood was already seeping through his vest.

"I'll get him to the infirmary, sir." Mikasa elected.

"Alright then," Shadis stood, helping Eren to his feet with his bad arm while Mikasa helped him by the other.

"Please, sir, let me help him too." Armin begged. Shadis nodded his head and turned back to the group of cadets (more like crowd now) standing around them.

"What do you think you're doing? You aren't done training. Get back out there!" His voice boomed loudly and it made their ears hurt. The only one who remained was Jean, but it wasn't like he could do anything in the first place.

Mikasa and Armin carefully held Eren in their arms, his limp body doing all it could to stay up, walk and stay awake. His eyes were already drooping from the blood loss, but Armin's voice was a constant reminder to stay awake.

"You have to keep your eyes open, Eren." Mikasa said. She had calmed herself down substantially, but there was still panic in her eyes.

"Please stay awake, Eren." Armin begged. Eren lifted his head a little to look over at his friend. Armin was blurry with his vision so messed up and his voice sounded like it was in a water filter, but he knew that it was Armin still there.

"_Jean, I remember you!"_

Yeah. He had heard that. He heard it for a spilt second, but that split second was enough for all hell to break loose.

* * *

**A/N: Hehe~ Got a little Eremin action going on I see. *Gets a brick thrown at my head* OWIEE~ Now review. XD**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, never mind, this chapter is longer. XD Guess what! I remembered some stuff I wanted to tell you people! *throws a party* First off, I'm fully away Mikasa is adopted, but I call her and Eren brother and sister because it's convenient. XD Yeah... There's something else at the bottom of the fic, I just won't say it here. XD OKAY! Now that, that is taken care of, I'll say again thank you for all of the comments. I am reading every one of them, I promise, it's just that some of you are not logged in or are using that random name function thingy mabober (can't remember what it's called) so I can't reply. I just kind of gave up on trying. XD Thank you for all the comments though! I'm totally loving them! Keep them up! :D**

**-Misty**

**P.S. I'm having issues with the internet connection lately, so if you don't see any updates from me, it's because of the internet... Or I don't feel like posting stuff. XD**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 8: Sing Me a Lullaby**

* * *

"Eren…!" Armin looked past the old building to see where his friend was, but he wasn't there. "Come on, Eren! I give up already!" Armin walked into the old building he had been circling and looked around.

The old, decrepit building smelled of dust and farm animals that didn't exist there anymore. The support beams were barely up holding themselves up let alone the whole building and as of right now, the building was tilted to right by five feet at the most, but that didn't stop Armin from advancing any further.

Within the small space of the abandoned barn, Armin could hear something in the distance. He looked around, but there were only a few things a small eight years old could hide in. Armin quietly tiptoed to some of the barrels and looked in and around them, but nothing. He then climbed up the ladder to the small attic space, but there was nothing on the top floor to hide in and not a possible place to hide out in the attic.

So where could he possibly be?

Armin hopped off of the ladder and looked over in the direction of a pile of old hay. He, once again, tip toed quietly to the hay, his light-weight body not irritating the creaky wood. He paced to the haystack and listened carefully, and like he thought, he could hear muffled snickering from it. Armin smiled widely as he turned his body away.

"Well Eren, if I can't find you, then I'm going to have to go home! Bye Eren!" Armin made loud footsteps to make it sound like he was walking away, but in reality he was slowly walking around the haystack to stand behind it. A few seconds passed by, his footsteps gone and his breathing nearly nonexistent as he waited. A few more seconds later and Eren's head popped up from within the haystack. His hair was matted in the dead and dry grass and the hay was sticking to his oversized cotton shirt and pants. He looked around the room, his eyes suddenly falling sad.

"… Armin?" He said quietly. Armin felt guilty for playing around with Eren once he heard the sadness in his voice; he almost broke down and gave up his ruse, but then remembering what he was doing, he held down a small laugh. Eren stood up from the hay, half of it sticking to him and another half falling back into the pile as he looked around some more. "A-Armin?" He called out louder.

Armin quietly covered his mouth to hide his laughter. He really did feel bad, but this was just too much fun to just give up so easily.

"Armin wait; I was hiding!" Eren started climbing out of the pile of hay as he yelled, hoping to catch the attention of his friend who he had thought had left. As parts of his clothes got stuck in the hay and he tried to scurry out as fast as he could, Armin finally decided to give in on the temptation. Armin held his arms out, grabbed Eren's shoulders and yanked him back down into the pile of hay.

"_Roar~!_" Armin roared as he mock-fought with Eren. Eren at first had been surprised (more like dumbfounded that he had been so foolishly tricked) but quickly realizing the plan Armin had concocted, he began to play as well. "I'm a titan! I'm going to eat you!" Armin yelled and rutted forward while still holding the brown haired boy down.

Armin already had the advantage over Eren as soon as he sat down on Eren's waist, but Eren had a trick or two up his sleeve.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm Lance Corporal Levi and I know the titans weakness!" Eren claimed while trying to drop his voice to sound manlier and older. It only made him squeak and his voice to somehow end up higher than he intended it to. Armin covered the back of his neck with both hands, his elbows in the air as he smirked at Eren.

"You can't get my neck, I won't let you!" He asserted. Eren instantly felt his own smirk playing on his own young lips. That was exactly what he wanted.

"Maybe I can't get your neck, but I can get your arms!" Eren quickly sprung forward, nearly tipping Armin over with his lack of balance. Grabbing the boy under his arms, Eren began to tickle him and Armin howled with laughter. He released his grip on his neck to cover his ticklish sides, but as soon as he did that Eren reached up and tickled just below Armin's hairline. Armin fell over with tears falling from his eyes, his laughter turning into pleading as he begged for Eren to stop.

Eren tickled him for a few more seconds, getting the chance to hold Armin down by his side in the hay before finally declaring enough and stopping. The two panted quietly by each other, Armin still trying to stop the tears from coming from his eyes as he got the last of his giggles out.

"It is a fact that titans are very ticklish." Eren declared.

"If that's true, then why don't we just tickle them to death?" Armin asked while wiping his eyes.

"You're an idiot. You tickle them _first_, and _then_ when they're distracted you get their neck!" Eren explained.

Oh yeah, he knew that was a bunch of crap, but Armin went along with Eren's childish game anyway.

"Oh, I get it." Armin mused.

No he didn't. He was just indulging Eren.

Eren sat by, watching his friend with caring and adoring green eyes. Armin looked back at him with just as much attention, but his eyes still had a glassy sheen to them from the tears.

"I thought you left," Eren said with a smile, but his voice betrayed his face with the sound of his pouting. Armin scooted closer to Eren and nuzzled his head into Eren's neck, the hay not bothering him at all as it crunched under his lithe body.

"Of course not, Eren." Eren's hands wrapped around Armin's body, keeping his small friend trapped within his grasp. Armin didn't protest to the soft gesture. He liked being this close to Eren, especially on chilly nights like this when it was just the two of them. He always thought that Eren was like a big flame, but he never burnt him. He kept him warm when he needed it. "Why would I ever leave you?"

"I don't know…" Eren closed his eyes and let his head drop against Armin's, fatigue suddenly hitting him fast. He didn't notice how tired he was until they had tuckered each other out with their playing. Now he felt like he could fall asleep at that very moment. The little giggle from Armin was enough to steal awareness back to him though.

"Are you tired, Eren?" Armin asked in a quiet tone. It took Eren a moment to respond, which was a small nod of the head, but once he did it pulled another giggle from Armin. "Maybe we should go back home. Our parents are probably worried." Armin suggested. Another moment passed before he shook his head.

"Why not…?" Armin tried to stifle a yawn, but to no prevail.

"… Because…" Eren rubbed his head against Armin's, hoping for a comfort only his friend could give. "… I'm happy here." He mumbled the rest.

Armin opened his mouth to protest to the poor excuse, but he found himself yawning. His nose wrinkled for a moment in that cute manner only he could do, a sight that Eren opened his heavy eyes just to see, and he closed his mouth again once he was done. Eren smiled, a small laugh sounding deep in his throat before he closed his eyes.

"Go to sleep, Armin…" He murmured next to his friend's ear. Armin hummed to reply, but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to say, "_Our parents will get worried for us, we should go home,_" but he couldn't open his mouth to do it. Another low chuckle from Eren before all went quiet.

The two slipped into a deep sleep, bodies pressed close with the hay under them as a makeshift bed. Even though it was chilly, the two were perfectly warm. Being encompassed in Eren's arms was enough for Armin to keep on dreaming, and even though he could never reach the temperature Eren could, Armin was like a cozy and warm blanket. It was like waking up on a winter morning cuddled in your favorite blanket, warmed by your body heat, with the smell of another person beside you.

He could just picture the scenario: In a big, comfy bed, a heavy and thick blanket over them, Armin sleeping against his chest, and the smell of him mixed with a breakfast being made in the kitchen. He could almost taste the fried eggs with a side of bread and a cup of milk. Armin would wake up to the smell of the food being made, but when he opened his eyes and saw Eren, he only smiled and stayed close. Food could wait.

They would start talking about what they wanted to do when getting to the outside world. Armin would even suggest playing in the snow that would cover the ground in a thick, cold blanket, freezing the remains of the titans and making them sink into the earth.

Oh what a heavenly dream that was. It made his heart fuzzy and warm and he never wanted to leave that dream, to forever live in that peaceful bliss, but reality was harsh. There was a hand touching his shoulder, a hand that wasn't Armin's, and it was shaking him, stealing his wonderful dream and waking him up.

"Eren… Armin…" The voice was very familiar as it whispered their names. Eren knew it all too well and peaked past a green eye to see who it was, just to be sure. He didn't need it though, because he had been right.

Mikasa stood over the two boys, being careful not to get her ankle length skirt covered in hay as she shook Eren's shoulder. Her hair was damp and Eren distantly wondered if she had taken a bath before going to find them.

"What…?" Eren groaned in agitation. Armin shifted in his arms and he tightened his hold just a little, trying to coax his friend back into a peaceful slumber for just a bit longer.

"Your mother sent me, Eren. You were supposed to be home before the sun set." Mikasa reminded. Eren groaned again and tried to fall back asleep. Mikasa pinched lightly at his cheek and pulled, keeping him awake. "We need to go."

Eren tried to swat her hand away, but she tightened her grip. He whined and fought some more, but the sudden motion unfortunately woke his sleeping friend. Armin whimpered with sadness, waking up from his own sweet dream and nearly crying at the loss. Eren soothed him by whispering soft sayings while rubbing his back and hair, pulling some hay from the blond hair in the process. It worked to his pleasure.

"I'm sorry, but we need to go." Mikasa apologized. She truly was sorry. She didn't want to wake up her brother or friend, especially when they looked so cute, but she didn't have choice. Karla and Grisha were angry that Eren was once again late and Armin's parents and grandfather were probably worried about him.

"Alright, just give us a minute…" Eren grumbled. He let out a heavy sigh, his body growing cold when Armin slowly sat up. Eren sat up on his own, his body cold and alone. His arms fell by his side while Armin rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleep out. He forced himself up on his feet and Armin followed, his hand holding the end of Eren's sleeve. Eren replaced his sleeve with his hand so he could easily guide him and also hold his hand which was growing colder by the second.

"Come on you guys. Let's go home…" Mikasa took both of their hands within her own and led them out of the rickety, old barn. The streets were quiet, but in the dead of night, three children walking around by themselves was not a safe thing to do, especially when it was almost a mile to Armin's home.

They were careful, like the usual since the boys did this at least three to four times a week, and like always nothing happened. Armin's house was the closest from their route and Eren and Armin departed reluctantly. Armin slipped into his house quietly, his parents already up and waiting for him. When he was safe in his house, Mikasa and Eren began their short walk home. It wasn't far now.

"I want to stay with Armin…" Eren distractedly mumbled in a tired voice.

"I know you do, Eren." Mikasa rubbed Eren's hand within her own, trying to keep it warm.

"I miss him…" Eren said in another tired and distracted voice.

"I know, Eren." Mikasa said. Her voice sounded bored and apathetic, per the usual, but it could have been because she was tired too.

"Why can't I stay with him a little longer?" Eren asked. He was cold and staying by Mikasa, even though she was warm, wasn't the same as being with Armin. She didn't give him that same, happy, warm and fuzzy sensation that Armin did.

"Because it's time for bed. You have to sleep at some point." Mikasa explained.

"I was sleeping. I was sleeping very well too." Eren complained.

"I know, Eren, but you can do that in your own bed in your own home." Eren stumbled behind Mikasa, his sleepiness getting the better of him.

"But I don't want to do that…" Eren pulled on Mikasa's hand, stopping her momentarily before she continued to walk. He was too tired to fight too much with her. "I want to spend more time with Armin."

"I know you do, Eren, but you can do that tomorrow when you wake up." Mikasa continued pulling Eren along the quiet street, and to Eren's surprise they were already home.

Upon arriving at the front door, Grisha and Karla were already standing by, ready to attack Eren with harsh words and punishments he didn't really care for. He was too tired and though he kept nodding his head and apologizing over and over again, everything was going in one ear and out the other.

"Eren, are you listening to me?" Karla placed her hands on her hips while glaring daggers at her son. Eren nodded his head, his green eyes staring at his feet dangling off of his chair and nothing else. Despite how much he didn't care, he really didn't like it when his mother looked like she was about ready to throttle him.

"Yes mom…" He replied.

"Eren, this is the third time this _week _and the third week this _month. _No matter what we do you keep disobeying what we say and when I tell you to do something you're supposed to do it. What do you have to say for yourself?" Karla forced Eren to look at her by grabbing his chin and lifting his head up. He quickly whined in protest, looking to his father and sister for help. Grisha was clearly avoiding the argument, not wanting to get on Karla's bad side, and Mikasa was heading to bed.

'_Traitors…!'_ Eren thought.

"I-I'm sorry mom; I wanted to spend more time with Armin." Eren pulled away from his mother's frightening grip and looked back down to his feet which were no longer swinging around. He could still fell Karla's stern gaze at him, boring holes into his head, but now he noticed the sense of dread over it. He had said something wrong.

Karla was no more than angry with Eren, she was irritated and infuriated. No matter what Eren rarely listened to her, but now it wasn't because he was just being rebellious, it was because of Armin. Armin now seemed to be his excuse for almost everything: "_I was walking home with him. We were reading together. We were playing together. Some bullies were picking on him so I fought them._" She had heard each one multiple times and each time was more annoying than the last.

"Eren, all that you've said lately is "Armin this," And "Armin that." It's your excuse for almost everything." Karla pointed out. Karla rubbed her temples and sighed, her mind uneasy itself. Eren felt his stomach clench, like his body knew where this was going yet he had no clue. "Eren… I think you need to start distancing yourself from Armin."

Eren definitely heard that one.

"Wait, what?" He shot a look at her of complete disbelief and pain. Had she really just said that?

"You two are spending so much time together that it's starting to conflict things for you, like your school work or chores." Eren bolted out of his chair, preparing to yell, but Karla beat him to it. "Eren, you two should stop seeing each other for a while."

"N-No! I can't do that! He's my best friend!" Eren felt tears prickling at his eyes. When his words didn't work, he turned to his father in hopes that he could help. "Dad, t-tell her I can't do that, please!" He begged.

Grisha looked up from the papers that he had been reading and looked to Eren. He sighed as he pushed his glasses up and off of the bridge of his nose. He had been paying attention, he just didn't want to get involved.

"Eren, what your mother is saying is true." Grisha spoke in his calm but serious voice. Eren's eyes widened, the hot tears slipping down his face as he looked from Karla to Grisha and then back again. His hands bawled into fists by his side while trying to keep himself together, but it wasn't working. Before Grisha could continue what he had to say, Eren burst.

"This isn't fair!" He bolted past his parents, up the stairs and to his bedroom where he slammed the door shut with force and dropped to his bed. He hugged his pillow up to his face, trying to smother his screams so he wouldn't bug Mikasa in the next room, but all that did was make him want to scream and cry more. He legs kicked furiously back and forth as he screamed, letting off the steam that would only get him in more trouble if done in front of his parents.

This wasn't fair. This just wasn't fair. They couldn't do this to him and Armin. It wasn't fair. How was he supposed to be happy if his best friend wasn't there to talk to or to tell his secrets to? What would he do to pass the time without Armin? And now how could he possibly learn more about the outside world without Armin there to tell him about it?

No, this wouldn't do. It simply wouldn't do. At the least, if his parents were going to separate him and Armin then he wanted to see his friend one more time. Even if they saw each other for a few seconds, it'd be enough, wouldn't it?

Eren had made up his mind. He wasn't going to see Armin, one way or another. He had to. He needed to tell Armin what was going on. Armin deserved that much.

Eren pushed himself up from the bed and went to his door to look outside into the hall. His parent's door was closed, and it was never closed unless they were asleep. That meant that they were in bed already, giving Eren his chance to sneak by. He wasn't going past their door, though. He had better plans.

Like jumping out of the window. To him it wasn't a far drop and he had done it so many times to go see Armin (albeit breaking something one time) that now the pain didn't register to him. It was like jumping up two feet and falling back down for him. It didn't hurt and it didn't break anything anymore. It helped that part of the roof extended out from his window, giving him the perfect opportunity to use it as a ledge. With that he could jump down with better balance and less of a distance.

Once on the ground he knew he was safe. He ran as fast as he could out of the line of sight from the house before relaxing. He had to get away fast to make sure no one saw him escape. Once that was done he was ready to go.

He covered himself more with his cotton over shirt, trying to warm himself up. He knew that once he and Armin were together again he'd be warm and that thought spurred him on. Being alone in the dark and in the middle of a cold night was a lot more frightening than being with two friends and being in the dark in the middle of the night. It didn't matter how close Armin lived to him, anything could happen.

Thankfully "anything" didn't happen.

Eren arrived at his friend's house, noticing how dark it was when all the lights were gone. He could barely see the front gate and nearly walked into it, but the moonlight lit it up before that could happen. He jumped over the fence instead of going through the gate, not wanting it to squeak and wake anyone up or scare anyone. Instead of going straight to the front door, he walked around the house to where he knew Armin's window was. He didn't want to simply knock on the front door and wake everyone up, inevitably getting the attention of Armin's parents who would go straight to Grisha and Karla.

Just another thing to add to his list of troubles.

Eren grabbed a few small twigs and stones and started throwing them at Armin's window, hoping to catch his attention or wake him up. After a few twigs and stones marred the sides of the window, Armin finally peered around the edge of it. He seemed scared to do it, fearing that it could be those misanthropes of bullies, but when seeing Eren outside his window he relaxed. The next emotion he felt was complete confusion and concern. What was Eren doing outside his window when it was so cold and dark out? He'd find out as soon as he'd open the window, which is what he did.

"Hi Armin," Eren said in a whisper, but loud enough so only Armin would hear him.

"Eren…? W-What are you doing here?" Armin stammered as he spoke, but his eyes watched as Eren stepped from side to side, trying to keep warm.

"I had to see you." Eren said with a smile. Armin smiled back, but he was still confused.

"Couldn't you have done that tomorrow?" He asked. It wasn't like he wasn't happy to see Eren, but that could have been done in the morning after the two had gotten a decent night's sleep and eaten breakfast.

"With the way things are going I won't get to see you tomorrow." Eren honestly replied. Armin gave him a worried look.

"What do you mean?" Armin bundled his arms close to his chest to keep warm, the cold night air seeping in through his window.

"A-Armin, can I come inside? It's really cold out here." Armin could hear Eren's teeth start to chatter and it was here he realized that poor Eren only had on the clothes they last saw each other in. Eren's weak and old clothes were not going to keep him warm for long.

"Sure. Go to my back door, I'll let you in." Armin then left the window and shut it behind him. Eren didn't even get the chance to reply, but he didn't care. He'd soon be with his friend again and that was all he wanted.

He quickly but quietly went to the destination Armin had told him about and waited. Not too long after the smaller boy appeared behind the door. He opened it, looking behind him to make sure none of his family had heard him or had seen him sneaking around and looked back to Eren with a smile. He motioned for Eren to be quiet before the boy could talk by placing a finger to his lips, to which Eren listened. He then let Eren in and the warmth of Armin's house got to him quickly.

Before Eren could thank him or even speak, Armin motioned for him to be quiet again. He pointed over to the door a few feet over, the door that led to his grandfather's room. Armin's grandfather was having issues with walking lately, so it was only natural to have a room on the bottom floor. Eren understood and kept quiet, letting Armin guide him away from that room. Neither Eren nor Armin bothered to speak until they were in the boy's warm room with the door shut firmly.

"Okay, I think we're safe." Armin said, but kept his voice near a whisper. Even though they were in his room, that didn't stop their voices from possibly traveling to his parent's room. He didn't want to risk the chance of Eren getting in trouble.

But as soon as the door was closed it seemed like Eren didn't care. He fell into Armin's arms faster than the boy could blink and knocked him down against his bed, knocking the air out of him. His body was warm and soft and all too quickly Eren was feeling tired once again. Armin was almost like that sleeping medicine his mother had given him on nights when he couldn't sleep.

"E-Eren, don't do that." Armin said in a panicked whisper. Eren snuggled against his friend, not caring about Armin's bed creaking under the added weight. "You'll wake up my parents."

"Sorry…" Eren mumbled against Armin's shoulder.

"Eren, it's not like I'm not happy you're here, but I'm confused. Why are you here?" Armin sat up, forcing Eren into a sitting position. Eren frowned when he was reminded of what his parents said. Did he have the heart to tell Armin about the problem they now faced? It was what he had come here to do, so backing down would be stupid, but how was he supposed to do it? He couldn't just jump out and say _"my parents want me to stop seeing you,"_ could he?

"Eren…?" Armin tilted his body so he could see Eren's face better, which was still hiding in his shoulder.

"My parents… Think we're spending too much time together…" Eren mumbled against Armin's warm sleeping shirt. "… So they want me to stop seeing you for a while... But I don't know how long _'a while'_ is." The words stumbled out of his mouth hesitantly, afraid for Armin's reaction, which he was sure to be a bad one.

"What…? B-But why?" Armin was already on the verge of tears even though the news was just released to him.

"I don't know, because they are _unfair._" Eren sat up a little so he could see his friend's face. Poor Armin was already leaking tears, his eyes red from the irritation and the frightening frown on his lips causing Eren's heart to clench and ache. He didn't like seeing Armin like this, and being the reason for it made it even worse. "They said that… I wasn't focusing on important things like school or chores."

Armin fell against Eren's shoulder and let his crying out in quiet bursts. His tiny hands clung to Eren's shirt by his sides and he bit back as many painful sobs as he could. He tried his best to keep quiet, but at the thought of losing his friend, he couldn't do it.

"No, please don't cry, Armin." Eren rubbed Armin's back, trying to sooth his friend, but it wasn't working.

"S-Sorry… I'm sorry…" Armin stammered as his breaths came out in ragged gasps.

"What are you apologizing for?" Eren asked with a chuckle. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I-I didn't know you were in such a-a bad spot." Armin rubbed his head against Eren's shoulder as he spoke, his tears getting Eren's lukewarm shirt wet. "I didn't know that I was causing… So many problems." He had a hard time speaking when he was having a hard time breathing.

"You didn't do anything, Armin. This has nothing to do with you." Bad choice of words on Eren's part.

"It's got everything to do with me!" Armin snapped, but remembering that his parents were sleeping in the room next door, he was able to keep his voice quiet.

"O-Okay it does, but it's not your fault, alright?" Eren forced Armin up so he could look his friend in the eyes. Armin's eyes were swollen now and even redder then before. His nose was dripping a little and Eren wouldn't lie and say that it didn't kill him to see Armin like this, because it did. It hurt like hell.

"Sorry…"

"Stop. Stop apologizing. It's not your fault, Armin, it's not. So stop thinking that it is _right now._" Eren demanded. "I don't want you to think that way." He clasped his hands over Armin's cheeks to make sure Armin's quivering blue eyes didn't waver from is.

"… Okay…" Armin breathed. He would do his best to listen to Eren, even if it wasn't particularly true. "Is this why you came here…?" He asked, his voice a little scratchy.

"Yeah…I thought if they really try to go on with this idea then I'd come see you before it happened. I wanted to tell you what was going on too, just in case I didn't get to see you and you thought I was ignoring you or… Something." Eren smiled and rubbed his thumbs under Armin's eyes, sweeping away the tears that were still dripping down his face. Armin closed his eyes to let the sensation calm his tired senses.

"Thank you for telling me… I'm glad," Armin cupped Eren's hands against his face so he could hold onto him. Now with this information, he wanted to keep as close to Eren as possible for as long as he could. He didn't know if Grisha and Karla were aware that Eren had left, and if they did that meant they could come looking for him at any minute now. He wouldn't attempt to hide Eren, knowing that he'd just hurt their feelings and scare them to no end, but it wasn't like the idea hadn't crossed his mind.

"Stop crying now, you big baby." Eren playfully teased his friend. Armin giggled, but the tears were still at the edges of his blue, glassy eyes. Eren wiped away those tears and thought of an idea in hopes that it would make Armin feel better. "Hey, how about you and I read more from your grandfather's book?" He asked quietly.

Armin's spirits instantly perked at the sound of that wonderful idea. He nodded his head and Eren left his side momentarily to go get the book. He knew where Armin hid it; through an open seam in his pillow that was covered by the gray pillow case. He was very protective of it, but when the book he held most of the time was illegal, who wouldn't be?

"What should we read about?" Eren asked as he got the book. Armin hummed, thinking about it as Eren pulled it out and help up the book.

"Oh, I came across something just before I left the house this morning. I didn't get to read it all so I don't know exactly what it said, but the book was talking about these great big creatures that used to be really rare." Armin extended his arms out, trying to imitate the size of these so called creatures, but he was too small to do it. "I read one that was supposed to be this prehistoric fish thing, but it's huge and used to sit under this lake… But I don't remember what the book called it."

So intrigued by the information Armin was saying, Eren quickly gave him the book so Armin could find the information he was talking about. Armin started flipping through the pages of the old book, his own heart racing when thinking about the information. When coming across something that looked familiar from this morning he stopped on that page. He sat back against the headrest of his bed and Eren followed. Eren pulled Armin close, his arm wrapped around the smaller boy's shoulders while Armin rested his head down on Eren's chest.

"Look, Eren." Armin pointed to the pictures in the book. "These were something kind of similar to what I read this morning. They're supposed to be half human and half fish, so they swim all around in the oceans, but they can go onto land too." Armin pointed to the pictures of the people with their lowers halves being long, elegant fins.

"No way, that's impossible!" Eren exclaimed as he followed Armin's finger. "There's no way that there can be such creatures." He said a little quieter.

"Well in the book it said that they were myths. People said they saw them sometimes, but there was no real proof. It's the same with this thing here." Armin pointed to the picture on the next page. The picture was of an odd, four legged creature on all its legs, its back arched and teeth baring in an ugly snarl. "This one was a little more famous in sightings, but it's still so rare."

"It looks like a dog." Eren huffed at the funny picture.

"It was supposed to be some sort of dog from the desert… You remember those, right?"

"Yeah, you told me that they were these large expanses of land that were hot and completely made of sand." Eren remembered the images from the book as clear as day. "I thought you said not many things could survive in the desert."

"That's what I thought too, but apparently there were some animals that could: snakes, scorpions, spiders, and this thing too." Armin pointed to the picture before turning the page. Eren looked at the next picture, seeing a giant creature, as big as a titan (if not, bigger) and as long as a lake. "This is what I was reading this morning. I can't pronounce its name, but apparently it was also another one that had a lot of sightings."

"It looks like a morphed titan." Eren stated, pulling the book closer to his face to see the picture in the dark settings. The creature was definitely as big as one, but it had a long tail that was almost as long as its neck which stuck up out of the water it was in for at least ten meters. Its body stuck out of the water as well, and its fins were wading in the water next to it.

"Well it was supposed to be the only one and it only stayed in one place, but don't you think if it stayed in only one place people would see it more?" Armin asked. Eren didn't notice the sound of sleep clinging to Armin's voice.

"Yeah… Hey, maybe when we get outside these walls we can go looking for it." Eren suggested. Armin nodded his head in agreement.

"I would like that…" He mumbled. This time Eren heard it and he wasn't so oblivious to the look of sleep in Armin's half-lidded eyes. Eren rubbed his friend's arm, coaxing his friend into even more sleep, even though that wasn't his intention.

"Are you tired, Armin?" He asked in a small voice. Armin nodded his head, curling against Eren for more comfort and support. Eren smiled, also noticing that he was rather tired himself. He quietly closed the book and set it aside so he could lay Armin down in his bed.

Armin lazily opened his eyes, waiting for Eren as the taller boy set the blankets over his small body and then joined him under the covers. The two huddled close together, keeping warm and taking it from each other. Eren wrapped Armin into his arms like how they were previously holding each other in the old barn to keep him warm. Armin pulled his arms up to his chest, his fingers curling by his lips as he closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him into that beautiful world he always dreamed about.

"Hey, Eren…?" Armin whispered quietly. Eren opened his eyes to look down at his friend while his fingers ran through his blond hair.

"Yeah…?"

"… Will you be here when I wake up?" Armin asked, his voice drifting as his senses started to give out on him. Eren smiled and leaned close, his lips pressing against Armin's ear.

"Of course, Armin," He whispered into his ear. His lips left his ear in favor in pressing against Armin's forehead, his bangs tickling his skin just a little. Armin didn't seem to notice anything anymore because he was beginning to drift away. This made him smile a little more against Armin's warm skin. "I promise I'll always stay right by your side."

His words were quiet, too quiet for a half conscious Armin to register. Armin only hummed in what he thought was a good response, but he didn't know what he was responding to. Eren only closed his eyes, letting fatigue wash over him. Today had been too hectic. Now it was time for rest.

The next time he opened his eyes, he was no longer in Armin's room, but the infirmary, and he wasn't alone. The only one in the room was Armin, his eyes open and looking at Eren with worry. His bangs were back in his face, the bandage no longer around his head to cover up his stitches. It took Eren a couple of moments to register what was going on, but once it all sank in, his heart sunk with it.

It was all just a dream. Not so much a dream, but a memory.

"Eren…" Armin mumbled. Eren could feel the unmistakable shape of a hand around his, tight and reassuring.

Eren felt tears burn his eyes and slip down his cheeks.

Why did he have to have such a beautiful dream; such a beautiful, vivid memory at such the wrong and unpleasant time?

"Eren, what's wrong?" Armin sat up from his chair and asked. Eren closed his eyes tight so the tears wouldn't be visible, but it didn't help. Instead, he bit back a sob and shook his head. He brought his arm up to his face to cover up his pitiful crying, but stopped at the sight of the stitches along his arm. "Don't tell me you forgot everything too… That'd just be too much."

Eren didn't mind that Armin was trying to make him feel better; it was a nice gesture, but something like that wasn't something he wanted to hear at the moment. It reminded him of the accident and of his foolishness that got Armin into this predicament, and he was too tired and sick to deal with it.

"Eren…" Armin reached forward and took Eren's hand into his own to pull it down. Eren looked up at him, his green eyes wet and pleading, but he couldn't voice it. He didn't want to talk about anything at the moment. If only he could look into those eyes and know that Armin was fully aware of him, but he knew that wasn't the case. "What were you dreaming about?" Armin asked a soft tone and voice.

Eren just couldn't get a break today.

He stayed quiet. He looked to his arm where the stitches went from his wrist, up to his elbow and a little past. The wound looked clean as it could get, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt and that didn't mean it wasn't hard to look at.

"Were you dreaming about me?" Armin asked. Eren looked to his friend, the tears still slipping down his cheeks in a small, stream like flow.

How did Armin know?

"You were saying my name in your sleep… So I wasn't sure…" He mumbled.

It had been a long time since Eren had, had a nice dream. Of all times he wanted one, now was not the best time to have one.

"… Yeah…" Eren answered. His voice was terribly scratchy and rough. He swallowed the lump in his throat, hoping to get rid of that problem. It didn't seem to work. Armin looked up at Eren, his eyes still worried for his friend, but Eren couldn't help but wonder what it was Armin was worried about.

Was he worried like Armin _would_ be worried for him before his memories were gone; like a friend who he desperately cared for and would do anything for? Or did he worry in the sense that he felt guilty that he couldn't do anything and he didn't know how? There was a part of Eren that wanted to know that answer, but there was another part of him that didn't want it.

"Hey, Eren… Can I ask you something?" Armin mumbled. Eren waited a moment before answering so he could take a few deep breaths. When he was done with that, he answered with a nod. "What exactly happened to me? I mean, how did I lose my memories?"

Yep. Eren just could not get a break today.

"Ymir had said something about you knocking me over but… Well I didn't fully understand her and… Well I wasn't paying too much attention." Armin rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks pink with embarrassment for having to admit to something like that, but could anyone blame him? He wasn't necessarily in the right frame of mind of pay attention to anyone at the time.

Eren sighed as he adjusted himself in his bed. His whole body seemed sore and his arm wasn't doing any better. Armin seemed to notice that and rubbed the back of Eren's hand, the one that wasn't injured. His eyes were beckoning an answer though and Eren swallowed again.

"… W-We were training… We were practicing self-defense and um…" Eren had to stop talking to collect himself. He felt the tears burning his eyes even more than before and his heart ached. If only the doctor were there to give him some sort of medicine to make it go away. "I-I knocked your legs out from under you and you… A-And you hit your head really hard and passed out…"

Eren pulled his hand from Armin's grip to cover his face; his head was practically killing him from the simple memory. Armin could feel the guilt radiating off of Eren and he himself felt guilty. He wished he could do something for his friend, but he didn't know what.

"I-I kept saying I was sorry and you kept saying it was okay but… B-But it's not okay… It's not okay and _hasn't_ been okay." The tears kept coming and he couldn't stop them no matter how much he wanted them too. The pain was too much and too unbearable not to cry.

Armin himself felt he was about ready to cry too, not because of not being able to help Eren, but just knowing that Eren was sad because of what had happened. It was like whatever emotion Eren felt he felt too.

'_Maybe I really don't understand the connection Eren and I have like Mikasa said…'_ Armin thought as he stood up from his chair. Eren watched with red and swollen eyes as Armin walked around the bed and sat down on the side Eren's uninjured arm laid. Armin lifted Eren's arm up and lied down in the bed himself. Once situated with his head on Eren's chest, he draped Eren's arm over his own shoulder. _'But I want to know…'_

"Armin…" Eren choked out. Armin stayed quiet as Eren rolled over onto his side. Eren's stitched up arm lifted and his fingers brushed against Armin's soft cheek. He kept biting on his lower lip, trying to stop the cacophony of sobs that racked through his body, but when Armin lifted a set of fingers to touch Eren's lip, feeling the ridges from the areas he bit too hard in, his friend finally gave in. Eren fell apart so easily after that, his tears spilling ruthlessly and his sobbing on borderline hysteria, and Armin let him do all of this.

Eren had been there since he had woken up. He had been there the whole time, watching him and taking care of him. Now it was his turn to do the same.

Eren's head fell limply against Armin's own, their foreheads pressed together, Eren's tears seeping into the boy's blond hair and getting it wet, but it was another thing Armin didn't care about. As Eren cried, Armin gently rested his arm against Eren's waist, rubbing little circles on his back and attempting to get rid of some of the pressure Eren was dealing with.

"A-Armin… Armin…" Eren kept crying his name over and over again.

"I'm right here, Eren. I'm not going anywhere." Those words only made him cry harder, and cry he did.

It had been an hour before Eren finally was done crying. Whether he was too tired to cry anymore or he didn't have anything left to cry with was unknown, but he finally stopped. It was late, it was dark and the only light in the room was a dying candle lit hours before. It was barely enough light for them, but enough for Armin to see how terrible his friend looked. Eren's eyes were more swollen than before and the tip of his nose was red from the irritation of crying so hard. His breathing was all over the place and Armin had taken up rubbing his chest just below his collar bone in hopes that it would help, if any.

"… A-Armin…" Eren murmured.

"Shh, get some sleep, Eren." Armin ran his fingers through Eren's thick, brown hair, trying to lull his friend into sleep. Eren seemed more than okay with the idea. As Armin cuddled his head into Eren's neck, Eren rested his chin down on top of his head, comfortable with the closeness that was an all too familiar feeling.

Armin noticed it too. The comfort of being held by his friend, of having his warm body against him, of having Eren's breath fan across the top of his head was something that could make him forget about everything (or at least the things he knew at this present moment).

He sighed, his hands slowing until almost no muscle moved. His day had been hectic and he was tired too; his day had not been as hectic to the degree Eren's had been, that was for sure, but it was busy enough. He could feel Eren's heartbeat steadying, a soft lullaby to him. He was glad his friend had finally calmed down. Now he wouldn't be feeling so many emotions that he didn't understand.

Or so he hoped.

As his eyes closed, sleep ready to take him away to a better place, awareness was thrust right back into his face and his eyes opened wide at the sensation of lips against his forehead. The motion wasn't noticed by Eren who, when he finished with the kiss, finally fell into a deep sleep.

Armin was more awake now, though, then when he had brought Eren into the infirmary earlier. His eyes were looking up at Eren's sleeping face, disbelief written across his face as he watched his friend sleep. His blood was racing to places he didn't understand, his heart was pumping furiously within his chest and his head was starting to ache.

'… _W-What…?'_ Armin blinked a few times, noticing a fuzz start to haze over his eyes. _'W-What the hell are we?'_

* * *

**A/N: Something that will come up later in the fanfic that I am going to mention now before I forget, because you know how forgetful I am. XD**

**Eren and Armin had their first kiss a couple days back in the fanfic (It's talked about later), causing them to be extra clingy to each other, and that's what Eren talks about later too. It wasn't mentioned here, but it will be later. I know I spoiled stuff but I'm going to forget and then it's going to suck! XD Also, I'm not trying to make Karla the bad guy here (Screw Grisha though because he's a b**** XD) I'm just thinking in a mother's shoes and how she would go about helping her son. She's only doing what she thinks is right! I love Karla, so no, she's not the bad guy here. XD**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Never mind, this chapter is longer. XD So, I've got a few things to say. This chapter I just hate. Not that I "hate" it, but I hate the way it came out. Nothing came out how I originally planned. It was hard to write. Y_Y And for those who remember, I said I was having internet problems. Member? You member, member? XD Well we had someone come in to fix it today... And that didn't help one freaking bit. XD If this chapter gets up, well yay! Next! To make things clear, just because Shadis gave them a week doesn't mean it directly started on Sunday or Monday. It started near the end of the first week. I just didn't want to say weekdays. XD Also, to make things clear for those who may not understand it, Eren is staying by Armin's side because he promised in the last chapter when he was having that dream, so now that he remembered that he doesn't want to leave Armin alone.**

**And of course, what is a fanfiction without Christa and her goddess like moment? XD**

**Alright, that's it for today! And now a word from your music sponser XD:**

** watch?v=Z6FPJOgfCkc**

**Until next time!**

**-Misty**

**P.S. As I'm predicting it, there should be three or four chapters left. SO CLOSE MEH FRIENDS!**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 9: Can the Wind Blow it all Away?**

* * *

_'My time is running out…'_ Armin pushed the tiny spoon around with this finger, stirring the contents within the bowl around and around in small circles.

His time was running out, and running out _fast_. Had it already been four days? He didn't even seem to notice the time go by, but now he had two days left to get the rest of his memories back and prove to Shadis that he could continue training.

That was easier said than done.

"Armin…?"

His mind was fuzzy with confusion, but not the previous confusion, the confusion of not knowing everyone around him and not understanding the world he had been born into. No. His confusion was connected to what happened a few nights ago with Eren and then what happened after that. That heat, that euphoric tenderness, the bleary fuzz that clouded his eyes with pleasure and the searing feeling that hit his lower abdomen.

"… Armin?"

His mind recalled the strong sensation of Eren's lips against his forehead, soft and ginger. His warm breath fanned against his skin when his gentle skin left his and he fell asleep. The kiss had left his forehead burning and his cheeks on fire with a blush he couldn't control. He was only glad because Eren had fallen asleep right after that, leaving him to be in his frantic emotional state.

His blue eyes were wide, watching the peaceful expression on Eren's face as the brown haired boy slept. His heart was racing and thumping in his chest so painfully that he was certain that it was his heart he heard banging against his eardrums. His breathing became light, barely there and the air that was leaving him was sultry. He wasn't reacting so violently that it would wake Eren up, who had, had his fair share of excitement and pain for the day, but anyone else who was a soft sleeper would easily be disturbed and awaken.

He shifted ever so slightly in his spot, aware of Eren's stitched up arm sitting on his waist and the other around his shoulder. Had he known things were going to turn out like this he wouldn't have laid down by Eren in the first place. More than ever he wanted to get up and leave so he could think, but being trapped within Eren's grasp had him cornered. He couldn't move. But...

Did he really want to move? Being like this with Eren was warm and comforting. Sure, he was more panicked than a new born foal looking for its mother, but he never said he didn't like the kiss. He just didn't understand the initiative behind it.

What he thought was a strong friendship that people couldn't understand didn't seem that way anymore. It was more than that; it had to be, because friends don't normally kiss friends, and when Eren kissed him, he saw…

He didn't know what he saw. He saw something, like an image. It was blurry, lasted a millisecond and made no sense, but it was there. It was another familiar piece in his mind that didn't fit into the puzzle. It didn't make sense.

Armin rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the haze in them. His hand paused from its actions to touch the area where Eren's lips touched him. His forehead still felt like it was on fire and even though his lips were inches from his skin, it still felt as if he was being kissed.

Why did this feel so familiar?

Armin's eyes slowly gazed upon Eren's sleeping face, watching his lips part to take silent breaths. His lips looked chapped, but he knew that they were too soft for their own good. He felt his face flushing more, his breath becoming shaky. What he wouldn't give for one more touch of those lips. Would it be so wrong to try and take one while he friend slept peacefully? He didn't see too many reasons why not.

Armin swallowed a lump that was constricting his breathing and moved forward. His lips barely touched Eren's before he pulled back, face flushing darker at the sensation. He brought his hand up to his mouth, covering his searing lips that now burned from just the simple touch.

There it was again. That image he couldn't see. What was it? He just had to know.

Armin leaned in for another touch. This time he wouldn't pull away, he would make sure of it. Just one touch and-

"Hey Armin, what's up with you?"

Armin's head jolted up from his food, surprise on his face, along with a blush as he looked to his friends around the lunch table. Everyone was looking at him, all the more reason for him to blush.

"Your face is all red. Do you have a fever?" Christa asked. Her hand reached forward to touch his forehead, but he scooted away from her with his hands pushing hers away.

"N-No, I'm okay." He assured.

"Obviously _something _is wrong, Armin." Mikasa's hand found his and gently touched it, her soothing touch helping him relax.

"What makes you say that?" Armin hesitantly asked.

"Because your hair was in your food." Mikasa pointed out. Armin pulled some of his bangs into his line of sight to see the oatmeal he had been eating was on the tips of his hair. He had been hunched over so much that his hair was dipping into his food and now it was dripping from his blond hair. Mikasa sighed as she picked up a napkin to wipe away the food in his hair. "Is there something on your mind?" She asked in her normal, apathetic and bored tone.

"No, of course not…" Armin mumbled. Mikasa tilted her head and blinked, giving him a look that suggested he better tell the truth, but he wasn't about to tell his friend that in the middle of the night while him and her brother were in bed together they both kissed one another at some point. Fat chance that would happen.

"That's obviously a lie." Jean sneered with a grin. Armin huffed and kicked him under the table. The gesture got a good yip out of Jean, but it was more than obvious he wasn't done teasing yet.

"Stop it you two, it's not funny." Christa rebutted. Ymir was already snickering at how cute her friend was, even before she said anything.

"Don't deny it, Christa." She said in a sing song tone. Christa huffed, about ready to kick Ymir herself, but Ymir was already hugging her before she could.

"Armin, it's okay if you're worried. I'm sure everybody is." Mikasa ignored the bickering _"couple"_ next to her and placed her attention back to Armin. She began patting his back, another thing that helped him relax, but it didn't take away the problem of his missing memories. He only sighed and placed his elbows against the table so he could rest his head in his palms. "If Eren was here right now, he'd tell you the same thing." Mikasa assured.

"Where is Eren anyway?" Christa pried her face out of Ymir's shoulder long enough to ask her question, but Ymir put her right back in place.

"The doctor is removing his stitches." Armin said in a grave tone, like it was the worst thing in the world.

"Already…?" Jean was rather surprised, surprised enough to make it seem like he cared about the brown haired boy.

"Yes. His recovery is doing so well that he doesn't need the stitches anymore." Mikasa spoke calmly, but to Armin's highly trained ears, he could hear the happiness hidden under her tone. She was happy that her brother was going to be back in training, tomorrow if not sooner. Shadis wouldn't let anyone slack off anymore, even if something was broken. Armin had been an exception; he couldn't remember anything, but since Eren was healing so well (something that even the doctor said was surprising) then he'd be back in training.

Shadis wasn't cold hearted though. He'd make Eren start out small and work back up. He'd probably start off with simple things like extra studying or even maintaining his 3D Maneuvering Gear. It wasn't bad, although Eren complained with his commander that he was fine and could do whatever it was everyone else was doing. Shadis wouldn't have any of that, though.

"So is that why he's missing lunch?" Ymir asked curtly. Mikasa gave her a small glare.

"Well yes and no. We took him his lunch, but he said we should come back here and eat." Armin put his hands into his lap and looked down at them. "I wanted to stay but… I don't think I could have handled looking." He mumbled as he thought about it. His stitches hadn't been taken out yet. Unlike Eren, his recovery was taking the normal amount of time to heal. His stitches would be taken out next week, but only if he hadn't been sent out of training by then.

At the rate he looked at it, he knew that wouldn't be possible. He had enough of his memories back to stay, though he hadn't told anyone to the extent at which he kept them. Shadis had overheard one moment between him and Jean, and with that he decided to let Armin start a few small sessions of training; nothing too strenuous or serious, but just something to keep him in shape while he was recovering.

"Armin…" Armin lifted his head to look at Annie. He had almost forgotten she was there, what with her being so quiet while the others were busy talking, but she was still there. She sat directly across the table from him, her head low as she ate in very tiny portions.

"Yes, Annie?" He replied. Annie reached across the table, an odd thing for someone like her to do, and stole the bread right from Armin's tray. Before the boy could even argue she was already biting down and eating the bread. "H-Hey, what are you doing?"

"You owe me anyway." She said with her mouth full.

"Owe you? What do I owe you?" Armin asked, irritated and annoyed that Annie would do such a rude thing to him.

"Last week you and Eren had been late to lunch. I let you have some of my bread and you shared it with Eren. I'm just taking back what you owe me." She bit down again on the bread, purposely being slow while eating to tease the boy.

"I don't owe you that, though. I let you have my bread last week and-" He stopped. Annie looked up at him and he swore he could see a smirk lingering in her jaw.

'_Crap…'_

"You remember that, do you?" She asked and tossed the bread back to him. Armin clumsily caught it, but now he didn't care what happened to it.

"Wait, you can remember things from last week?" Christa asked, a mix of happiness and surprise written on her face. Armin didn't want to answer, but he knew he didn't have much a choice in the matter anymore. He had been caught.

"Armin, is that true?" Mikasa placed a strong hand on his shoulder, beckoning for him to look at her. Eventually, Armin nodded his head.

"So does this mean you remember your training too?" Jean asked. He also seemed happy with how things were turning out.

"… Y-Yes…" Armin hesitantly answered. The group, including Mikasa, seemed happier than ever.

"This is great! You won't have to leave now!" Christa cheered. Armin shook his head, letting the happy atmosphere die down. "What…? Why not? Isn't this a good thing, Armin?"

"Only if you looked at it a certain way…" Armin muttered.

"Well look at it that certain way and stop sulking. I thought you wanted your memories back?" Jean questioned.

"Of course I do, but I can't be happy…" Mikasa sat closer to Armin and bent her head a little to see his face which he was trying to hide behind his bangs.

"Why can't you be happy, Armin?" She asked. Armin looked up at her with a pitiful look and pleading blue eyes.

"… Because… I can't remember Eren…" The words tumbled from his mouth slowly and hesitantly. Each word he said made him regret saying it more. He hated having to admit it; it only meant it was true and still his reality.

"Oh, I see…" Mikasa rubbed his back through his vest and undershirt, hoping to help him feel better. She knew she couldn't take the initial pain away, but if she could only prolong it…

"Somehow… It kind of surprises me how your memories are returning…" Christa mumbled. The two looked over at her, momentarily spooking her. "I-I mean, it's just odd how they keep coming back, but only in groups…" Christa rubbed her neck, blushing from being embarrassed about how she was describing the situation. This earned her a heavy hug and a lick to the face by Ymir.

"I get what you mean." Jean said. "He's remembering moments and the people with those moments, but all together it's not quite right. And to top it off, he remembered Mikasa of all people first." Jean pointed out. Mikasa mumbled something under her breath that no one really heard as she went back to her food, ignoring the comment.

It wasn't like she wanted to be the first person Armin remembered, but it was out of her control.

"Hell, the kid even remembered _me_ before Eren. It's not like we aren't friends or anything, but to not remember Eren now, after everything, it's just… Odd, ya know?" The whole group was all agreeing with each other on the subject. Armin looked at the half eaten bread in his hands and sighed. As the group began throwing around ideas and conclusions, he set the bread down on the tray and lowered his head. He felt tears burning in the back of his eyes and didn't want anyone seeing him so sad.

It wasn't like he wasn't trying to remember Eren; he was, but how were you supposed to go about remembering a person who didn't even click in your head to begin with?

"It's not fair…" He whispered.

The whole table went quiet when noticing the shaking in Armin's shoulders and the whimpers coming from his lips. Armin lifted his head, no longer caring if anyone saw; his head was starting to ache again and all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and hide away in a hole for a good long time. The tears slipped from his eyes and down his cheeks and he wiped them away, attempting a smile.

"I-I just want to remember Eren again… I'm glad I remember you all, but I… I just want my friend back…" Armin continued to rub his eyes, the sobs he was holding back making his body shake.

The table was uncomfortable and awkwardly quiet as Armin whimpered and sobbed, trying to stop crying.

"… Eren." Mikasa said. Armin lifted his head and looked at Mikasa, but her attention wasn't on him. He felt a shiver go up his back as he looked away from her and in the direction her eyes were looking at, and standing right behind him was Eren.

How long had he been standing there? How much of their conversation had he heard? Had he heard his pitiful admission to remembering everyone else besides him? That was what Armin wanted to know.

Eren's arm was dressed with a fresh bandage, but the blood from the small openings in his skin from the stitches had caused the white fabric to become stained a sickening red color. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Armin to feel nauseous at the sight of it.

"Oh, look who it is. We were just talking about you, Eren." Jean said, a smirk on his face with his cup of water pulled up to his lips. For this he received a quick kick under the table by Mikasa.

"I um…" Eren looked away from Armin and lifted up his arm. "I got my stitches out… It went by a lot faster than I thought. If I had known that it wouldn't take so long I probably would have just waited to join you guys for lunch." Eren had a slight laugh in his voice as he spoke.

Mikasa scooted over in her seat to let Eren take a seat between her and Armin and Eren did so. Armin tried to keep his distance, the tears still seeping from his eyes and not showing any signs of stopping anytime soon. He hated crying in front of Eren. It made him feel weak and useless.

"I should have stayed with you…" Mikasa mumbled under her breath.

"It's okay, Mikasa. It didn't hurt a bit and it's over. Don't worry about it." Eren assured. Armin watched Eren cautiously lower his arm onto the table, being careful not to irritate the healing injury anymore. His gut twisted in pain from just knowing that Eren's arm was flared up and in pain.

He wanted to leave more than anything, to get up and run and stay away from everyone and everything, but something was stopping him. A cool hand was slowly finding its way into his and eventually fingers glided effortlessly between his. Armin looked down at the hand in his own and found that it was attached to Eren.

"So what did I miss in training this morning?" Eren asked, completely oblivious to their entwined hands.

"We didn't do much today." Mikasa mumbled.

"We were sparing with our seniors. It was like a small test thing to evaluate our skills up to this point." Jean explained.

"This is a test I assume I'm going to have to take on another time and in front of the whole training corps. Is that about right?" Eren asked and rested his chin into his palm.

"More than likely." Mikasa assured.

"Well great. Is there any advice you can give me ahead of time?" Eren let his shoulders slump in displeasure as he questioned them.

"Yeah." Jean said with his mouth full of soup. Eren looked up at him, a little hopeful for advice. Oh what a pleasure it was for Jean to do this to him. "Don't get your ass kicked." Jean quipped and Eren simple scoffed and waved a hand at him.

"You're a waste of my breath." Eren grumbled.

Why was he acting like this? Why was he acting like nothing was wrong? Why was he acting like nothing had happened a few nights ago? Did Eren not remember the mental breakdown he went through? Did he not remember the kiss to Armin's forehead that sent the boy into a mental panic?

Armin wanted to know. He wanted to know why Eren was acting so calm and collected. Acting like this made his heart ache. It made him feel terrible, like Eren was ignoring was happened between them, like it never happened.

He couldn't take it.

Armin stood up so abruptly from his spot on the bench that it hit the back of his legs. He dropped his head, hating the attention he got from everyone in the room while he ran out. It was too much to bear, though; he didn't want to be there while feeling this way.

He left the lunch hall and dashed away, but to where he wasn't sure. He didn't know how he got there, but after a few minutes of getting away from the barrack filled with cadets, he somehow found himself by the tree he and Eren once had been at. He didn't know how he got there, especially since he was blinded by tears when he ran, but he was there all the same.

He collapsed against the heavy trunk of the tree and pulled his legs up to his chest so he could hide his face behind his knees. The tears just wouldn't stop no matter what he did. He tried picturing some of the good times he had (the ones he could remember) but it just wouldn't work. He tried imagining when he first found his grandfather's book in his old trunk while the man was out, how happy he was when he saw the pictures of the world beyond the walls. When he read about those mythical creatures in the book one night…

No wait, that didn't seem right.

Whenever Armin thought about something, there were those moments when they were fuzzy. He could tell something wasn't right with them, but he wasn't sure what. It was almost like they were… Altered? Could that be it?

He noticed moments like the one about the mythical creatures were similar in issues to the memories of when he was beaten up by bullies. He remembered Mikasa always scared them off and then would send him a tender smile in his direction, but memories like that were fuzzy too. Why was that?

He tried to think about something else, something that wouldn't be fuzzy to his mind. The memory of finding his grandfather's book was fine. It was as clear as the day it happened. What had happened after that? Why was that memory gone and why was everything else fuzzy?

He remembered showing Mikasa the book and she hadn't been too thrilled about it as he was, but that memory was fuzzy as well. _Someone_ else was there, weren't they? Someone else was excited to see the book; it just had to be true. Who was it he showed it to other than Mikasa?

He remembered that someone shared his excitement for the book and what lay beyond the walls, but that was what confused him. Who was it that was happy for that book other than him? It wasn't Mikasa, which was for sure.

"None of this makes sense…" He mumbled against his legs. No, it really didn't make sense. Why was everything so mixed up and foggy in his head?

'_There's just one thing left… It has to be something important too… Could it be…?'_

Armin thought back to the kiss he shared with Eren. It had been a brief kiss, short, sweet and to the point, but in that spilt second he saw something. What was it he saw? The image was completely gone from him now. He was so lost in the kiss that he didn't bother to pay attention, and now he was regretting it.

"This is unfair…" He whimpered.

"You mean your memories…?" Armin lifted his head up, uncaring to who saw his tears falling now.

Christa was standing by the tree with him, her hands behind her back as she leaned on her tip toes and then on her heels. She was looking down at him with a guilty look, like she had done something wrong, but that wasn't true. She didn't need to feel so sad for him.

"What are you doing here?" Armin asked. A few yards away he could see Ymir standing against a building, her arms folded over her chest and a look of resentment on her face. She wasn't very happy, but what was new?

"I got worried about you." Christa sat down in the grass by Armin's side, her legs neatly placed under her and her skirt gently covering her legs. A little gust of wind (something that seemed to happen in this one spot often) let her hair flow through the air while she watched Armin with her insatiable blue eyes. Out of the corner of Armin's own blue eyes he could see Ymir seething with anger.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm okay, I'm just…" Armin trailed off. What was he okay about? There was nothing worth being okay about. He was far from okay and it wasn't like talking was going to help much. He had tried that and it didn't work.

"I guess I can't say I know how you feel, because I don't… But sometimes talking does help." Christa tilted her head to the side in a cute manner as she spoke.

"I don't think it'll help me with the things I'm missing though…" Armin mumbled. He finally had the decency to wipe his eyes and nose with his shirt sleeve.

"You never know though. Jean said your memories of him and Marco came back just by talking." Christa said.

"I guess…" Armin mumbled again. He didn't like having to admit the truth to that.

"Are you saying they didn't come back?" She questioned.

"N-No, they came back." He assured. Christa pushed some blond hair out of her face and tucked it behind her hear. For a few minutes she let it be quiet, no questions, no chatter, just the wind blowing by and their breathing, tagged along with Armin trying not to cry. "Can I ask you something…? Armin finally spoke up.

"Of course. You can ask me anything." Christa said in a cheery voice.

"What did you… Think of Eren and I... When you saw us together?" Armin asked. He had to pause a few times, trying to pick out the right words and at the same time trying to understand himself what it was he was trying to ask himself.

"What did I think of you guys…?" Christa repeated the question and Armin answered with a nod of the head. "… Do you want my honest answer?" She asked. Armin was almost afraid to say yes, but he did. Christa shifted a bit in her spot, feeling her legs start to fall asleep on her. As she did she let out a heavy sigh as she sat back, her arms supporting her behind her back.

"I honestly thought that you two were together as a couple." She said it like it was an everyday thing to say; no hesitancy and not a hint of sarcasm.

"C-Couple…?" Armin flushed at the word and at the thought of Eren and him being used with that word.

"Yeah… I mean you two were always so close together, and if you guys were separated it wasn't for long. At first I thought you two had a thing with each other, but then I noticed that there was something different." Christa spoke calmly, the wind blowing a little through hers and Armin's hair.

"What's that?" He asked her.

"While you two were always so amicable… It wasn't like you flaunted any sort of relationship other than just being friends. You didn't talk like you were head over heels in love with each other and you didn't go beyond any simple physical contact; a handshake, a small hug… That was about it." Christa explained. Armin found himself looking deeply into her eyes as she spoke, almost like he was hypnotized by them. He didn't even notice how poetic or sophisticated her words were.

"Although it wasn't like you two weren't afraid to touch each other either. You would do things that would seem weird to others, even if it was a perfectly normal thing to do. For example: fixing the other's belt or brushing the others hair out of their face." She giggled at how she worded her sentence. Once she stopped, her smile was back and her eyes started to glow.

"Honestly, when I finally understood that you two were just friends, I ended up being so enthralled by your relationship. You gave off the impression that either of you would do anything for each other or would gladly give your life for the other. You two were always so close together and it was something anyone, even Jean would admire. I admired you two and I wished with all my heart that someday I could find a person to share that same relationship with." She had a smile on her lips as she talked. She looked over to Armin, hoping that what she said would be the answer he was looking for, but the boy was simple staring at her as if he had been slapped across the face.

Little did she know that for some unknown reason the sun had decided to shine down through the leaves of the tree, lighting up her whole figure while the wind blew against her in an incredible way. Her body seemed to be glowing in the most unusual way and sparkles seemed to appear out of nowhere. This is what Armin was looking at, and this is what had him so awestruck and dumbfounded. He did remember moments like this happening with the girl (and on occasion people would propose to her left and right, whether her age was an issue or not) and even now he still never understood why it happened.

"Armin?" She questioned. Armin shook his head while rapidly blinking multiple times to clear his head.

"Oh, s-sorry," He muttered.

"Is something in your eye?" She asked and scooted forward to look closer into his face.

Oh how pissed Ymir became.

"No, no, I'm okay." Armin laughed a little when Christa blew warm air against his face, trying to get rid of whatever it was in Armin's face. Little did she know that it was nothing and for a few seconds he had just been stunned by her "goddess-like" quality. "I promise, Christa. I'm alright." Christa backed up a little, just in time for the lunch bells to ring and alert everyone back to training, and for an angry Ymir to grab Christa's arm.

"Lunch is over. Let's go." She lifted Christa onto her feet in one swift movement and yanked the young, blond haired girl away.

"Ouch, alright, alright! Ymir don't pull so hard!" She whined as Ymir pulled her away, leaving Armin to his thoughts.

The blond haired boy sighed as he placed his chin on his knees again, letting the cool air blow away some of the stress from today. The wind was a nice, comforting breeze now, slipping through his blond tresses and relaxing his aching muscles. For a moment the only thoughts he had on his mind were related to what Christa had told him.

"… It's not like you're alone… At least you remember _her_…" Armin mumbled to himself. He was referring to Ymir.

He found himself sometimes admiring how close Ymir stayed by Christa. She didn't seem to ever leave her side and was very protective of her. Maybe Christa didn't see the good friend standing right in her face? Armin didn't see how it was possible. Was Eren the same way as Christa described?

Here he was with his best friend right there, waiting for him and hoping for something from Armin, but Armin couldn't even remember him. He had no memory of the friend who Christa described. He wasn't truly alone, he knew that much, but he couldn't possibly be happy unless he understood the tactile relationship they had. He wanted to know.

And what about the friendship she described? She had said, _"When I realized that you two were just friends…" _Did that mean they truly were just friends? If so, then what was this feeling he had for Eren now? Was this how he felt for Eren before he lost his memories, or did he feel like they were just good friends before? No, that couldn't have been right. He definitely didn't feel like they were "just friends" like Christa said.

Was he feeling something totally different for Eren now…? He desperately wanted to know.

"… I guess that'll have to wait…" He mumbled to himself. He had to get to training. It wasn't easy to convince Shadis to let him try his hand at training again so it wouldn't be a good idea to be late for it.

Armin said goodbye to the last of the relaxation and stood up from his spot. He wiped his pants off from any excess dirt. He stretched his arms above his head, getting a moment to stretch his sore muscles before he left that nice tree to go and get dressed.

It would be the first time he would put his uniform on since the accident. He didn't remember what happened after he had shed it, but all he hoped was that it was clean. It wasn't like he was a clean freak, but not many people like wearing clothes with dried blood on them. Armin was no exception, and he was more worried about Eren seeing the evidence of his injury then having to wear a bloody uniform.

And to his relief Eren wouldn't have to. After going on, what felt like, a man hunt for his uniform, he found it in the newly cleaned laundry, clean and stain free just like the day he had gotten it. He could see the Training Corps insignia slightly altered by his blood, but it wouldn't be too noticeable unless someone gave his jacket absolute attention.

When putting on his uniform, it felt odd, almost like he was donning a skin that he had shed long ago. Once on, the outfit felt stiff and scratchy from being left out to dry on the clothes line. It was a little uncomfortable, but he knew he could deal with it. He was grateful for just the chance to train, as if everything was normal. That was all that mattered to him.

Sooner than later, he was at the training ground, however he already hated it. He was alone, and this left everyone to stare at him, wondering what he was doing there or wondering why he was going to train with them. He didn't have anyone there to comfort him or just stand by to glare away those awful stares. He simply looked at the ground, his arms pulled up to his chest to feel like he was closing everything out around him.

"Attention!" The commander's voice boomed over everyone's talking. Armin watched as everyone fell into line, straight and orderly and leaving him standing in the middle uselessly. He looked around, his heart clenching with embarrassment for being alone when a hand grasped his. He only had time to look down at the hand before he was yanked into the lineup with the rest of the cadets.

"E-Eren…?" He questioned. Eren stayed quiet, a serious look on his face as he pulled Armin by his side in the line.

"We're going to continue our training sessions from earlier today. I will be giving you your new teams to spar with, so listen well. I think you know by now that I don't like to repeat myself." Shadis's voice was dangerously low and Armin tightened his hand around Eren's. Now he understood why Eren wasn't talking, because if he did, they'd probably get in trouble. "Team number one: Ackermen, Zeramuski, Bodt and Braun. Team two: Tius, Blouse, Ymir, and Carolina."

"What's he doing…?" Armin looked up at Eren when he heard the taller boy hiss. He felt the grip on his hand tighten, almost to a painful extent. He could hear, not too far away, the sounds other people beginning to question the lists and names. A few people down he could see Ymir, angry as ever for being separated from Christa.

"What's wrong?" Armin asked in a whisper so he wouldn't get caught.

"Team three: Leonhart, Kirstein, Reiss, and Wagner. Team four: Fubar, Springer, Arlert, Jeager." Eren's grip could break his fingers if Armin hadn't warned him about it. Eren gave him an apologetic look, but he didn't verbalize his concerns or worries.

"Eren, I don't understand…" Armin mumbled.

"_Hey, do you know what's going on?"_

"_No, not a clue…"_

Armin looked down the row of cadets and then to the other side. Apparently he wasn't the only completely lost, but was he lost for the same reasons they were? He was confused as to why the lineup was off, or at least it didn't seem off to him. Was he missing something?

"Do you get it yet, Armin?" Eren asked in a whisper. Armin looked up to him and shook his head. "He's putting weaker and lower in status with some of the top status cadets…" Eren explained as the commander kept reading off names. "He doesn't normally do that, and he put you and me in the same team…" Eren said that so quiet that Armin nearly missed it.

"What's wrong with us being on the same team?" Armin asked.

It wasn't two seconds after he asked that, that he remembered why. Eren probably had his reasons for hating the lineup and the team he was on, but he was more than likely apprehensive about being on the same team as Armin. Fear for hurting Armin again was what caused him to dig his nails into his own palms. Worry was a thing that made him want to stomp up to Shadis and bark at him and make him redo the lineup and teams, but Armin's hand within his own was a constant reminder not to.

"Sorry…" Armin mumbled.

"No, it's fine. It's not your fault after all." Eren fussed. Armin didn't like the way Eren said that. It sounded as if he was implying something.

"It's not your fault either." Armin asserted. Eren grimaced and it was something Armin caught, even though Eren thought he was being subtle about it. "It's not your fault, right Eren?" Armin asked with an adamant voice.

"Those are your teams. I want each set to go over forms fifteen and seven, seeing as those are the hardest for you imbeciles." Shadis stepped away, letting people begin with the training that no one was happy to deal with.

"Later…" Eren grumbled and started walking, guiding Armin by his side.

Connie and Bertholdt had already found each other and were talking when the two came up to them. When the two boys saw Eren and Armin, they greeted them with happy smiles and a few laughs on Connie's part, but Armin could hear the apprehension in their voices. What did they have to be nervous about?

"You guys ready for some training?" Bertholdt asked. He already knew that Armin was in their team, adding too all of the tension they all felt.

"Yeah…" Eren muttered, his displeasure evident. "But why did he have to go and switch teams around so suddenly?" He wondered out loud. The rest of the group seemed to shrug, just as clueless as he was.

"Not sure. Maybe it was to throw in some new variety. Like to get us moving more and be more prepared." Connie suggested.

"Shadis did seem unhappy with the results from today's tests." Bertholdt pointed out. Connie rolled his eyes and laughed obnoxiously, as if trying to get attention.

"It's not funny." Eren huffed in irritation. "We were fine with the teams we had."

"You were fine with beating Jean into the dirt." Connie snickered. Even that got a small smirk on Eren's lips, but he tried to pass it off as nothing more than something stuck in his throat. He cleared his throat and looked around for his sister.

Mikasa was with Reiner and Marco. Those two towered over her and, as it stood, she was the only girl in her group.

Oh were those three boys in for a serious beating.

"S-So, Armin…" Bertholdt started, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you, uh, want to stand by and watch while we go over some of the forms?" He asked, a little hesitant to do so.

"No, no. I can do it." Armin said. He was determined to try. If Eren was willing to do the things anyone would do while he recently gotten stitches taken out of his arm, then Armin could do it too.

"Are you sure, Armin?" Connie asked.

"Of course. I can handle anything you guys can throw at me." Armin determinedly said. Eren was glancing over at him from his side, his hands clenching slightly.

It wasn't that he was too worried, even though he was, but Bertholdt towered six feet and three inches over all three them. He was the tallest guy in the Training Corps, taller than Reiner even, and (if one didn't know his amicable personality) any newbie would easily be threatened by him. Connie was smaller than Armin; a plus for the blond, but Connie's physical strength was a lot better than Armin's. Armin wasn't too physically gifted, but what he lacked in strength he made up for in mind. He succeeded far above Connie and Bertholdt combined.

How would any of that help him here?

"Are we going to pair up?" Eren asked. He hoped that they would, deep down in his heart he begged for it. If they paired up he would go with Armin, then that way he could at least go easy on the boy, lie and say that he wasn't a very good fighter.

"Why don't we try going at each other all together?" Connie suggested. "We can mix it up a bit, ya know?" He flashed a big grin at the other three cadets.

"I don't mind doing that. Armin?" Bertholdt looked over to Armin to confirm the plan.

'_Don't-'_

"I don't mind at all. Let's do it!" Armin answered.

'_This isn't going to end well… I just have that feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is going to go all wrong.'_ Eren thought gravely.

Why did Armin have to act so courageous? He never tried before, so why now?

"Alright, who should start the attack first?" Eren ignored the terrible feeling in his gut and the obvious facts and asked begrudgingly. The group looked around at each other, trying to see who it was that would volunteer to go first.

"… Sneak attack!" Connie suddenly boomed in a loud voice. He jumped onto Bertholdt's back and yanked, pulling the taller man down. For Bertholdt, being so tall and having someone who was only five feet tall yank backwards on your neck hurt; it was a serious pain in the back.

Next was Armin who joined in trying to take their friend down. Little did they know how strong Bertholdt was. Once gaining his composure he proudly stood up with the two boys hanging off of his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal. In fact, the tall man crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, watching the two boys hanging off him.

The sight was something that got Eren to clutch his stomach and laugh.

"Gah! Eren, help us!" Armin whined while feeling his grip on his hands loosen around their friend's neck. Eren pitied his friends, but the sight in front of him had him falling to the ground in laughter.

Oh how progressive their training was.

"Come on, Eren!" Connie begged. Eren finished his laughing, only to keep chuckling as he trotted behind the three cadets. With one quick kick to the back of his leg, Bertholdt went down with Armin and Connie. The three fell tumbling to the ground, but not before Armin could quickly grab Eren by the jacket and bring him down with them.

The four of them fell to the ground and broke out into even more laughter, bellowing in their humorous moment. Eren toppled on all of them since Armin dragged him down and Connie had unfortunately been the bottom part of this sandwich. Armin was directly under Eren and Bertholdt was trying to push the two off so he could stop crushing poor Connie who was begging for air while laughing his head off, and for the moment…

Everything seemed normal. It was just like nothing had ever happened. They were laughing, having a good time and enjoying themselves like everything was normal. It was also like there was not a care in the world: no titans, no fighting, no wars for humanity, just peace and life.

Eren helped Armin roll off of the other three and the boy fell into his arms. Armin was still laughing, tears slipping from his eyes in happiness that he tried to wipe away with the leather sleeve of his jacket. He was sure (even with his fogged memories) that he hadn't laughed like that in a good, long time. Eren knew for sure this was true, and he was glad, because he couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard as well.

"Y-You're such an idiot!" Connie boomed in laughter.

"Me? You pulled me down!" Eren let his head fall against the dusty-dirt ground while Armin dropped his own head on Eren's chest.

"You're both just _really_ stupid." Armin said while panting, trying his best to breathe correctly.

"I agree one hundred percent with Armin." Bertholdt sat up on his elbows, watching everyone with playful eyes. "But I think I won that one."

"Bull crap; I did!" Connie argued.

"Hey, I knocked you all over!" Eren sat up himself, forcing Armin to sit up with him. Armin still rested against Eren, his head sitting against his shoulder while Ereb rubbed his back.

"I got you to the ground though." Armin muttered against his chest.

"How about we all lost?" Bertholdt fell back on his back as he laughed a little more. Eren huffed and fell back, intentionally pulling Armin back down so they could both lie in the dirt.

"No way. I can't accept that." Connie waved his hands, denying the results of the mock-battle. To prove his hatred for the idea, he jumped onto Bertholdt, making the unsuspecting cadet grunt with the impact and loss of air. Eren rolled his eyes at the sight and ignored them so he could relax with his friend.

Or so he hoped.

Armin repeated Connie's action and jumped on Eren, his legs straddling Eren's hips and his hands pinning Eren's shoulders to the ground.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?" Eren questioned, surprised written all over his face. The sight got Armin to grin mischievously.

"I'm training!" Armin said in a playful but teasing manner. Eren still seemed surprised, but after a few seconds of frantic struggling he realized that it was all Armin simply playing with him. He smiled as he grabbed at Armin's wrists and pulled, but the boy's grip was firm.

"You're _so_ going to get it." Eren quickly wrapped his arms around Armin's torso, squeezing down on his sides and eliciting a yip from his friend. When Armin went to cover his sides from Eren's hands, Eren trapped Armin in an enclosed hug and pushed him down into the ground. Armin grunted from the impact, but laughed some more. Eren toppled over him, his hands frantically finding Armin's hands to pin them to the ground above his head. One hand held around his wrists while the other quickly went to tickle Armin's sides.

Armin immediately broke out into laughter, his body thrashing under Eren to get him to stop. Eren didn't stop, however. In fact, it only enticed him more to keep on tickling the poor boy under him.

"N-No, stop! S-Stop it, Eren!" He begged through his laughter. He tried kicking his legs out from Eren, but it didn't help any. He yanked on his hands, tossed his hips around, arched his back, but Eren had set a strong goal about tickling the blond until Armin down right pleaded for freedom.

Eren stopped tickling Armin's side for just a second, but only a second so he could go for Armin's neck. The boy gasped and tossed his head back into the dirt, the sudden sting of pain racking through his body when his stitches hit the rocks under him. He felt the sting and saw something, another image, another still picture of something familiar, but it was too short to give too much attention to. The pain brought him back fast, having him yelp at the pain.

Eren automatically stopped, hearing the sound come from Armin. This wasn't just a plea of mercy; it was a sound of pain. He was hurt and something was wrong.

"Armin…?" He saw how quickly Armin's face went pale and he himself blanched at the sight. "Armin, what's wrong?" He pulled Armin up into a sitting position and grabbed at his shoulders to hold him up, noticing the boy stagger in place.

Hearing the distress in Eren's voice, Bertholdt and Connie both looked back at them, pausing their "training" to see what was going on. Being where they were, they were the first to see blood seeping through the dirty, blond hair on Armin's head. They stopped instantly and got up to join them.

"Armin?" Eren persisted. Armin kept shaking his head.

The image was familiar. He kept seeing it every few seconds, but it never lasted long and was more scrambled every other time. His head was starting to pound furiously and it caused his eye sight to go blurry and his breath to become uneven.

"Armin, stand up. Let's go to the infirmary." Connie suggested. Armin shook his head again, but Eren was already pushing him up to stand.

"N-No, I'm okay. I hit my head against the ground…" He mumbled. Eren let Armin rest against him while he looked at the back of his head. The blood was knotting together some of his hair in clumps of dirt and blood, but behind it the stitches seemed intact for the most part. More than likely, when he threw his head back the stitches pulled and tore some skin. It was that or Eren couldn't see the popped stitches behind the blood and hair.

"The doctor needs to look at this. You could have pulled your stitches loose." Eren said in a stern tone. Armin continued to shake his head. He didn't want to see the doctor again, especially not now.

He felt like he was so close. That image, it had to be his memory, and it was standing right in front of him, waiting for him to grasp it. It was like a word you'd forgotten on the tip of your tongue. He could practically taste it, but it didn't want to come up.

"Armin, I'm not budging on this." Eren held Armin's wrists tightly in his hand and gave a good yank on it so the boy would fall forward against him. "_Let's go._" He dropped his voice to show how serious he was, but Armin wasn't going to give up.

Just as Eren took a step forward, preparing to force Armin to the infirmary, Armin's legs buckled out from under him and he fell to the ground, his head getting an unintentional (as in it was never his plan to do this) whack to the forehead and creating a new wound to bleed on his clothes. He whined as he yanked his hand from Eren's grasp to cover the new and self-inflicted wound, feeling the blood sleep in between his fingers.

"A-Armin, are you okay?" Eren bent down and helped Armin out of the dirt. When lifting his head, Eren could see a trail of blood from the new wound on Armin's forehead down to his chin. His eye was now covered in his blood, to the point where he couldn't open it, fearing that he'd get blood in his eye.

"Aw man, that doesn't look good." Connie muttered while looking away. He didn't like the sight of the blood. It wasn't that he feared blood; no, that wasn't the issue. It was that he didn't like seeing it on his friend.

"You have to go to the infirmary." Bertholdt said. Armin was too dizzy to wave his flaccid hand at them let alone say anything. All he could do was be helped to his feet by Eren.

"Don't worry, I'll carry him." Eren said and already scooped Armin up into his arms.

"N-No…" Armin murmured and tried pushing against his chest. Eren looked down at his friend in his arms, unaffected by the stares they were receiving from people who had come to see what all of the commotion was. "I… Don't want to…" Armin closed his eyes and rested his head against Eren's chest again. Eren wasn't too caring for the blood; he was only worried for his inured friend.

"Armin, what are you saying?" Connie asked.

"You should go get checked out. You really can't handle any more injuries." Bertholdt suggested. He threw in a small joke, but it wasn't taken seriously (and in some ways it was).

Armin opened his tired eyes and motioned for Eren to come close so he didn't have to raise his voice. Eren lowered his head down by Armin and let the boy whisper against his ear. After a few moments he pulled back, his eye brows furrowing in worry.

"That isn't a good idea…" He mumbled. Armin closed his eyes and dropped his head back down onto Eren's chest. Eren sighed, feeling defeated.

"Eren…?" Eren lifted his head to the sound of Mikasa's voice behind him. He turned his head over his shoulder to see Mikasa a few feet away, worry on her face for both of them. She was looking down at Armin, watching the blood drip over Armin's closed eye and drip down his cheek and chin.

"I… I'm going to take Armin to the infirmary." Eren said and turned in the direction of said building he talked about.

"I'll go with you." Mikasa followed, but Eren stopped her by holding out the hand under Armin's thigh. Mikasa could see the blood seeping from under the bandages on Eren's arm. Obviously holding Armin was putting a strain on his newly injured arm.

"No, it's okay. You stay here and train." He said and started walking again.

Little did anyone know that the infirmary wasn't where he planned on taking Armin.

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaaand we're back to the present. XD Also, thirty reviews! Thank you so much everyone! Please keep up the reviews! I'm reading them all and I love them!**

**... Stop crying people! This is a fictional story of fictional characters from a fictional world called anime! If this happened in the anime well go ahead and cry all you want, but don't waste your tears over my writing! XD**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Aaanndd we're back to the present time. XD Oh my goodness people, I got a freaking cookie from a reviewer! *noms on cookie* People, there is nothing I love more than cookies and reviews. You people do both and I will be a happy freaking fangirl. XD**

**So... Who is ready for some smexy time between Eren and Armin? ;D Imma go ahead and say right now that this is bordering rated M... For reasons of my own. But seriously people, if you're reading an SNK fanfic, you're probably used to rated M. XD Not saying that there is any sex or stuff like that in the anime, j-just saying... Ya know... The violence is rated M... And... J... Shut up. e_e**

**Time for me to do some plugging. Don't forget to check out my other fanfic, "Desires." It involves these two. Also, I am in progress with the next fanfic I'm working on, and I shall tell you it's title. It's called, "It's A One Time Thing." So... Now I'm done selling myself. XD ENJOY!**

**-Misty**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 10: Kiss the Pain Away and the Memories Back**

* * *

"Ouch!" Armin yipped with pain and stood up from the bed. Eren looked at him with a worried expression, bloody rag in hand that was dripping with water.

"Sorry, but I never did get a chance to look at your stitches." He said apologetically. Armin whined as he rubbed around his stitches, but never touched them.

"… It's alight." Armin grumbled with a pout. Eren chuckled and patted the bed next to him, motioning for Armin to sit back down again. Armin pouted for a few more seconds, dreading the situation before sitting back down on the bed. Eren re-rung the cloth in the water and help it up.

"I'm just going to get the blood and dirt out of your hair so I can see your wound, okay?" Eren explained. Armin nodded his head for confirmation and fisted his hands against his knees. He waited for the harsh sense of pain to fill his jumbled mind, waited for that sickening, stomach turning nausea to hit him and make him pale, but it never came. Eren was completely gentle with him, running a few strands of his dirty hair between the cloth and rubbing the dirt and blood out. There was an occasional tug on his head from the hair, but it was never too painful. "Does it hurt?" Eren looked to his face and asked.

"No…" Armin mumbled. A small smile crept on his lips as Eren looked back to the rag and continued to clean his hair. After a few slow, quiet minutes a cleaning his hair, it was finally back to its normal self, minus the small tangles that could easily be undone, but Eren didn't want to continue pulling. Instead he washed the cloth out in the bloody water once more and held up the rag.

"I'm going to clean off your stitches. Are you ready?" Eren asked. Armin knew this was going to be the thing that hurt the most, so he braced himself and nodded his head. Eren seemed apprehensive, but pressed the wet cloth against the back of his head, pressing firmly against the wound.

The sensation Armin previously expected was there, taking over him and making his skin turn pale and his stomach slip. He felt like the food he barely ate at lunch was about to be seen again while he felt his skin go into a cold sweat. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and for a moment he was sure he'd faint, but he barely registered the feeling of Eren's warm hand touch his neck.

"Armin, are you okay?" Eren asked. Armin kept his eyes closed to make the vomiting feel go away. He blindly grasped for Eren's hand and help onto it tightly, hoping to keep himself awake. Very soon the cloth was off of his head and the pain was dissipating. He sighed with happiness at the release from his head.

"Now I am…" He murmured. Eren chuckled again and put the cloth down by his lap. Armin could feel Eren separating the part in his hair so he could find the stitches. Eren was quiet, fingers gently pressing on the skin around his wound. "…How is it?" Armin asked, a little hesitant by the way Eren was being so quiet.

"It's okay. None of the stitches came undone, but they did pull. That's what caused the bleeding." Eren explained. Armin felt him push a little more before finally letting up on his head. Armin glanced over at Eren as the taller boy grabbed at the cloth again and placed it in the cool water in the bucket. He watched with a sick and weak stomach as Eren cleaned the rag again and pulled it out.

"Is it still bleeding?" Armin asked.

"Not much. It's really small but still there." He lifted the rag and, without warning, pressed it against the back of his head. The sensation was immediate and Eren placed a hand on the back of his neck to keep Armin sitting up so he wouldn't faint. Armin swallowed shakily, his hands shaking against his lap as he tried thinking about other things that could distract him. Anything would do, anything at all, so long as it got his mind off of this incredibly pain.

"H-Hey, Eren…" Armin mumbled. His mouth suddenly felt so dry and his throat felt like it was closing up, making it harder to speak.

"Yeah…?" Eren lightened up on Armin's wound to give him the chance to breathe and relax. The gesture was greatly appreciated as Armin leaned against Eren's shoulder for support.

"Mikasa said… That we used to inseparable…" The blond mumbled while sounding distracted. Eren physically stopped what he was doing to look Armin in the eyes. The poor boy couldn't even look into his eyes for five seconds before closing them to stop the world from spinning, but Eren kept staring at him with a questioning (and stupefied) look.

What had suddenly brought that on? What made him want to say that?

Armin opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times, making the black, fuzzy haze over his eyes go away. He looked up at Eren, his half lidded eyes staring lazily into Eren's green and confused eyes.

"Was she lying?" Armin asked. His voice had fallen quiet for a moment, giving off a sleepy impression.

"No, n-not really…" Eren mumbled. He dropped the cloth back to the bucket and sat up straight so Armin wouldn't fall over. "I'm just… Not sure why you said that." Eren looked away from Armin's insatiable, blue eyes.

Armin hummed in response and closed his eyes. He let out a heavy breath, his cold sweat going away and his skin getting to a reasonable temperature.

"Because I wasn't trying to think about the pain…" Armin mumbled. Eren let out a sound, showing he understood what it was Armin was saying before nodding his head.

For a few minutes, the two sat there in the quiet, giving Armin the chance to recover from the pain. He relaxed easily from being by Eren and he was glad that he convinced Eren to bring him to the barrack instead of the infirmary. He didn't want to see the doctor again, not when he was so close to getting everything back. He didn't want to see the doctor and have the man say anything that could ruin that. He didn't want to lose everything when he was so close to getting it all back.

All he wanted to do was stay by Eren. All he wanted to do was be with his friend.

"Mikasa speaks the truth." Eren finally broke the silence by speaking. Armin looked up at him, finally getting the chance to now that his stomach stopped spinning. "I spent so much time with you that I started slacking in school and chores at home and as a punishment I'd be stuck in my room for days on end... I remember one time I got so mad about it that I snuck out in the middle of the night to come see you." Eren recalled, a smile tugging at the ends of his lips.

"You did?" Armin was surprised by how risky of a choice he had made. "I don't remember that-" Armin paused and looked at Eren, realizing that what he said was very ironic. "Sorry..." He mumbled. Eren decided to change the subject, hoping to get rid of some of the tension (and secretly trying to jog something within Armin's disheveled mind).

"I remember times when I helped you from some bullies... And no matter how many fights I had with them they never let up on you." Eren said, a thin frown replacing the smile he had. "I got into so much trouble as a kid... Funny, it all had to do with you though." Eren smiled again when he looked at Armin.

"Eren..." Armin lifted himself from Eren's shoulder while his face held a stern expression. His voice was just as stern to match the expression. "I remember them... The boys who were always beating me up," He said. Eren's eyes widened with hope, but Armin shook his head.

"I remember them... But I remember only ever seeing Mikasa... She always chased them off. I didn't know you were there..." Eren frowned with pain; so even those moments were gone. No, not just got, completely revamped into a different scenario.

It's like someone had taken his memories and taken Eren out of them. Any moment he was involved in was left with only what was there. Now Armin understood why moments like those were fuzzy, because he had been right. It was like his memories had been altered.

Eren sighed, feeling the need to give up. Was there anything he could do at this point? He could try feeding Armin more memories and hope with all of his might that one would eventually click for him, but everyone had tried that. While it was working for others, it didn't seem to be working for Eren. Armin couldn't remember him, no matter what he was told and no matter what he did.

There had to be something, anything. There had to have been a moment when it was just him and Armin together, a moment that had to have had one other person to make the memory work. It wouldn't work unless there was someone else with him. That someone else had to be Eren. Yeah, there were plenty of times like that, but how much of it would be a dream to Armin? He didn't know and at the moment he didn't want to know.

Eren shook his head and stood up. Armin was just about to fall against Eren again, but found himself nearly falling on his face into the bed. He looked up, slightly startled by Eren's fast actions as Eren turned away from him. He started to leave, but then Armin called out to him.

"Wait-" He paused as Eren looked over his shoulder at him, his expression a little menacing and frightening. It reminded him of when he first woke up and Eren was panicking to no end. "W-Where are you going?" He asked as he sat up and pulled a hand up to his chest. Eren looked away; he really didn't feel like bothering much anymore.

He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing was coming out. Did he have an answer? He wasn't sure. He didn't have a real destination in mind, just a place where he could go and be away from Armin. He didn't want to be near him. It was too painful.

"Eren, don't go." Armin reached out and tugged on the sleeve collar of his jacket. Eren shook his head; he didn't have anything left to say, except:

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled. He tugged his arm free from Armin and turned away.

"Please Eren, don't go." Armin stood up from the bunk bed, minding his head and injuries at the same time. "I want to remember."

"But if you don't even remember the moments I was in, how can you possibly remember me now?" Eren asked without turning to look at him. He couldn't bear to see the look on Armin's face, whatever it was.

"I-I don't know but… But I know, I mean I want to know…" Armin kept stammering and his face was a little flustered, but he didn't know how else to get his point across. He couldn't stop stuttering though and the pain in his chest was making it hard for him to breathe. He felt a lump of something (he didn't know what) forming in his throat and it hurt to try and breathe or even talk. He felt his eyes burning with tears in the back of his eyes and he cursed to himself for feeling this way.

Eren could hear the hard time Armin was having behind him. He didn't need to look to tell that Armin was trying his hardest not to burst into tears; he could hear it just fine and it was making his heart clench. He needed to leave. He couldn't be around him without breaking down himself, and he sure wasn't going to do that in front of Armin. Not again anyway. He needed to be strong, if only for a couple more minutes so he could leave. He started walking forward again.

"No, wait!" Armin rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Eren's body before he even realized his own actions, but he couldn't let him leave yet. He didn't want to lose this person whose face escaped his memories and at the same time flooded his mind.

What was so important about Eren? What was it about this boy that made his heart pound and his cheeks to turn pink? He was desperate to know.

Eren had stopped dead in his tracks, freezing to the sudden embrace. He was so ready to get out of the room so he could cry in his own pity, but Armin had stopped him and now he was trapped. If Armin didn't free him soon, he'd break down. He couldn't do it. He couldn't last much longer.

"Armin, l-let go." He tried to wiggle free, but the blond had a firm grip on him.

"Please, not yet." Armin rubbed his forehead against Eren's back, mindful of his injury as he spoke, his voice muffled by the jacket. "I-I don't know why, but I just can't lose you yet. I don't remember you and yet I don't want to lose you." Armin cried. Finally he felt he could say what it was on his mind. Even if he didn't want to say anymore, however, he didn't feel like he could stop.

Eren shivered and tried to break free again. He didn't have much time left. However, Armin wasn't ready to let him go, in more ways than one.

"You've been standing by me this whole time… Ever since I woke up it's been you I've seen. You stood by me, waiting for me to remember you while all I did was remember the others. The amount of pain that is, for not only me but for _you_… Hell, even Jean was surprised you weren't the first person I remembered. I keep thinking about how much that must have hurt you. If all Mikasa said is true then I've been hurting you this entire time because I can't remember…"

"But I know you're important to me now and I'm not ready to let go of that." He mumbled vehemently. "I don't want to give up. I don't want to stop trying…" He trailed off, his throat starting to hurt from talking while trying not to cry.

"Please, Eren; there has to be something, anything! One moment; a moment between us! There has to have been one moment that was us and only us; something that I couldn't possibly think of!" Armin begged, finally releasing his grip and letting Eren free. Eren stood still for a moment before finally gaining the courage to look back.

Just as he imagined, Armin's eyes were red and tears had stained his pale but perfect complexion with streaks of water. He looked like he was trying hard himself not to cry, but for him it wasn't working. He was already falling apart.

"Please, Eren. Don't leave me alone." Armin begged some more. Eren took a sharp inhale of breath, trying not to lose the inner war within his mind.

Armin wanted him. He wanted him to stay and he didn't want him to go. He was begging and crying for him. Any other time had Armin been like this Eren would have stayed by his side for as long as it took to make him feel better, even if it meant weeks. He had done so when Armin's grandfather risked his life to save his own and the rest the residents of Wall Maria. Now he had to think about it. He would never do that at any other time, but it was hard to stay by when he was ready to break himself.

Eren sighed, racking his brain for moments. There were plenty, but non that would probably be impactful enough. He looked to Armin's innocent face and thought harder. This would be his last try. If it didn't work, he'd give up and leave it at that. Either Armin would remember him on his own time or never again. Once that was set in his mind, he had a memory that would definitely be worth giving it a shot.

"Eren…?" Armin murmured after a few seconds and sniffles. Eren sighed again and motioned for Armin to sit back down. Armin hadn't realized that the wound on his forehead was still bleeding; the idea hadn't even crossed his mind, but Eren knew and didn't want Armin standing up straight while losing blood. Once Armin sat down on the bed, Eren sat by him in a similar position he had taken up a while before.

"I may have a memory… I don't know what good it'll do… But I'll give it _one last_ shot." Eren said in a low tone. Armin's eyes widened as they lit up with hope, but hearing Eren say he'd give it one last shot meant that he'd stop trying after this. What if it didn't work? Would he forever be lost without his best friend by his side?

"What is it?" He asked hesitantly. Eren looked down at his feet for a moment, examining the scratches and dirt along his boots, then looked up to Armin. He stared hopelessly into those hopeful blue eyes and frowned. Was he really ready to admit the memory from such a long time ago? "Well?"

It didn't seem Armin was going to let him go anywhere until Eren spat it out.

"I was your first kiss…" He said. Armin went pale. His expression was surprised, but he also seemed like realization had struck him over the head with an iron bat. His tears stopped and for a moment he even stopped breathing. Eren wasn't sure if this was a good or bad sign. "And you were mine."

"… W-When… Was that?" Armin asked quietly, his eyes slowly falling to the floor.

"Before Wall Maria was breached. It was a little after Mikasa had come to live with us. She was doing well adjusting to the city life and apparently some boy had said he thought she was cute. When she told my mom, my mom started acting all funny, saying things about _"first loves"_ and youth being _"great"_… All that boring stuff," Eren rolled his eyes.

"She mentioned something about a first kiss, but I didn't understand how important it was. I was telling you about it later that night and… Well, it just kind of _happened._ You hadn't had your first one either, so we both thought it'd be good to get it over with." Eren explained. While he talked, Armin had taken to looking at the floor where a small ant was crawling, trying to remember such a moment.

He peeked up from behind his bangs to look at Eren, mainly his lips. Those soft lips were barely parted, taking in anxious breaths and then letting them out while he waited for some sort of response from Armin. Armin felt his cheeks heat up slightly, but not by much. With his open wound still bleeding, he didn't have enough blood to blush all too well, but it didn't seem to matter to him. He wasn't even aware of his surroundings at the moment.

'_I've kissed him before…'_ He thought while his blush was still present. _'I kissed those lips of my best friend…I kissed him and he kissed me, and we were each other's first kisses. Such a moment sounds so sweet and innocent between two kids and after all the stories of us together…' _Armin blinked the daze away from his eyes and thought harder. _'Is that what we are?'_

Such a moment was indeed a sweet and innocent moment between two kids. The first tender touch between trembling lips, he imagined, must have had goose bumps rise on their young flesh and their cheeks to go pink from ear to ear. Mikasa had said they weren't even ten when the wall was breached, so that meant it was almost a childhood love, but it was a simple kiss, right? Something like that, such a tender and _adorable_ moment none the less, would be a moment one couldn't forget.

But for him it wasn't there.

'_Why, why, why?!'_ He inwardly yelled. His mental panic and hostility didn't go unnoticed from Eren. _'Such a moment, and I can't remember-'_

"Armin." Armin cautiously lifted his eyes up to meet Eren's. He looked at him and he could already see the look in Eren's green eyes. Eren didn't look like he was ready to hear the answer, yet at the same time he looked like he wasn't in the mood for playing around and was waiting as patiently as he could for the answer. Armin could sense the tension though; Eren already knew what the answer was. "It doesn't ring a bell, does it?" He asked.

Armin swallowed, looked away and sadly shook his head. Eren looked to the floor and sighed. There was a tense and nerve wrecking moment that passed before Eren slowly nodded his head and stood up. Armin watch as Eren left the room without another word. His heart pounded in his chest to a painful extent at seeing Eren leave. He didn't want that, not at all.

'_Why is this happening?'_ He questioned.

Seeing Eren leave him alone hurt. No, hurt was an understatement. It nearly killed him. It nearly rendered him deaf, blind and broken. His heart ached, his eyes burned with tears threatening to leak from the back of his eyes and his body shook with bones shaking sobs. He didn't want Eren to leave, not yet. Seeing him leave was hurting worse than not having the memories of Eren at all.

Why was that though? Why was it that the boy, who he couldn't remember, even if it meant saving his life, was causing his body to stir with these feelings? He thought surely there was no possible way for him to feel such emotions about someone he couldn't remember, yet here he was trying not to break down into a painful cry, and it wasn't like this was the first time either. Eren had been making him feel things he didn't understand since he first woke up. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it all seemed… _Familiar._

He just had to know.

Armin stood up from the bed and quickly followed him. He ignored the sudden wooziness and the nauseous feeling he felt upon standing. He didn't care for it and he wouldn't let it impede his goal. He walked out of the room just as Eren had turned a corner in the hallway.

"Eren, wait!" Armin called and chased after him. Upon turning the same corner at a run, he saw Eren leaning against the old wooden wall, his forehead resting on his bandaged arm and his hand balled into a fist by his side. Armin stopped mid-step, sensing an ominous feeling coming from his friend, but he then continued. "Eren, I-" He paused when Eren let out a shaky breath.

Was he crying?

"What is it?" Eren asked, his voice wobbly and quiet as he spoke. Armin bit his bottom lip, the words he had leaving him fleetingly just from the sight of his poor friend in such mental anguish. He didn't care what memories resurfaced, if only even one. It could be just about anything, good _or_ bad, and he wouldn't care. All he wanted was to see Eren happy again.

"Armin, talk already." Eren said in a rough voice. Armin jumped a little from the harsh tone. He clenched his hands by his sides and stood up as straight as he could so he could get a sense of bravery in him.

"Kiss me." He said.

For a moment it was quiet, not even the sounds of the cadets training outside could be heard in the hallway, but then Eren finally looked up at him with a dumbfounded expression on his face. His eyes were slightly red and his cheeks had wet paths going down them from crying, but he looked as surprised as anyone who was to overhear that.

"… What?" Eren asked.

"I-I'm asking… F-For you to kiss me… No, I'm _telling_ you to. I need you to k-kiss me." Armin demanded, his hands clenching tighter while his voice stuttered. Eren still seemed too surprised to do anything but stare.

"Just once… Try again. Just one more time… And if it doesn't work then I'll give up too, just…" Armin felt his eyes burn with fresh tears. "Just don't give up on me yet." The rest was finished in a small mumble.

Eren stood up straight and left his spot at the wall in favor of being next to Armin. His eyes were sad while staring down at him, and for a moment Armin wasn't sure if he regretted bringing the idea up at all, but then Eren's hand slowly touched his own. Armin's smaller hand immediately relaxed to the touch and it gave Eren the chance to slowly tangle their fingers together. Eren's hand had gone up his arm and held onto his shoulder loosely. The whole thing caused him to shiver. He swallowed as a chill went up his back. Armin let a small breath pass through his lips before looking up at Eren whose eyes were downcast.

"It's not a good idea…" The taller boy mumbled sadly.

"I don't care." Armin said in as stable of a voice as he could get. Even so, it still shook.

"Armin, I don't think-" He stopped when Armin spoke up.

"I don't care what you think. I'm telling you to kiss me already." The determination in his voice was almost surprising. Another shocked expression went over Eren's face, but this time it was accompanied with a blush. Armin knew himself that even now he was blushing, but he didn't let up. He kept his strong stance and did his best to keep his body from shaking so badly. Regardless, he was still shaking just a tad, something Eren saw.

"… Are… A-Are you sure?" Eren asked. Armin felt his ears burn with a blush.

"Y-yes I'm sure!" His voice unintentionally squeaked in response. "So just do it before I change my m-mind!"

Eren didn't give him the time to. All too swiftly he cupped Armin's cheek into his hand, bent down and pressed his lips to the smaller boy's. Armin's let his eyes widen in surprise, staring into Eren's green eyes which were barely open and staring right back at him. The kiss was soft, tender and euphoric, giving him goose bumps on his skin. His whole body shook with anticipation and need, and after pulling away, he was left with the feeling of wanting more.

Armin's hands fumbled to hold onto the bottom of Eren's jacket, just barely clinging to it as he stared with wide, blue eyes at his friend. Eren seemed just as surprised, but whether he was surprised that he actually went through and kissed Armin or he was still surprised from Armin asking him to do it wasn't for sure. All he knew was that he had done it and that it had made his hand shake against Armin's burning cheek.

"Eren…" Armin murmured. He found himself moving again, looking for another taste. He wasn't disappointed.

They met each other half way, the kiss a little bolder than before. This time their eyes closed, blinding them to the world and leaving their senses to do all of the seeing for them. The hand that had been resting on Armin's cheek slowly moved under his hairline to hold onto the back of his head, just below the wound (that, by now, had stopped bleeding). Armin's own hands were hesitant, but slowly let go of Eren's jacket to slowly touch Eren's neck where the skin was warm and inviting. Eren's other hand fell to his waist, enticing a small (_very small_) sound out of Armin's lips.

He tilted his head after hearing the sound, feeling a gentle warmth spread through his lips. He felt the slide of soft skin against his own and he too got goose bumps. Armin tilted his head in the other direction, following Eren's lead and felt Eren's grip tighten. Another small sound left him, bordering a whimper as he moved an inch closer to Eren. The motion got Eren's hand to move just a little lower and slide around to the small of his back, holding him in place.

They stopped momentarily to breathe, opening their eyes to gauge the others reaction. Armin's face, despite his head injury, was as red as could be. Eren had his own blush dusting from ear to ear, but it wasn't as prominent either. Both of their eyes were clouded and looked foggy to the other, but to only a certain extent. It was like all they could see was each other.

Armin dropped his head down onto Eren's shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. He could hear Eren's strong heart beating loudly in his chest and it was like a soothing lullaby. He was sure his heart was beating just as loud, if not louder, but he didn't care.

It made him happy.

"Eren…" He murmured against the taller boy's neck. Armin could feel the shiver go through Eren because of what he did. His hands left his head in favor of wrapping Armin into an embrace, trapping him in his body heat. Another sigh left him as his fingers played with the ends of Eren's thick, brown hair.

Eren touched his cheek and guided Armin's face back to his. He brushed his lips against his friends and Armin quickly moved forward for another touch. Eren complied, letting their lips mold together one more time. Eren's hand went back to his hips, his fingers lovingly dancing against his body as they found their destination. His other hand weaved through his blond hair, his fingers tenderly rubbing against his scalp. Armin's hands cupped his cheeks, his fingers grabbing behind Eren's ears for a better hold on him.

A simple shift let Armin feel something pressing against his back; the wall. He didn't notice they were moving until it was too late, but now he was pressed against the old, wooden wall with Eren's hands slowly moving up and down his back.

Armin let out a weak moan. It felt good, too good. Just a simple kiss had his heart pounding. It had his pulse racing and his cheeks burning. What had his friend done to him?

He dared to put more pressure in the kiss. He was rewarded with one of Eren's hands slipping under the back plate of his 3D Maneuver Gear and his other hand giving a small tug to his hair. Another small moan left him as he felt Eren's body press against him more. The tight pressure against his chest forced him to lift his arms completely over Eren's broad shoulders. His hands clung to the back of his training jacket, fingers ruffling the fabric and pulling it up.

Eren pressed against him more, his tongue shyly swiping against Armin's bottom lip. The boy's separated, their eyes opening for a moment to look at each other. For a moment they stared at each other, their breathing faster than before and fanning against their skin while their eyes did all of the talking. With a few more seconds and a nod from both of them, their lips connected again, but this time their tongues brushed together. Armin's legs buckled under him and he nearly dropped from Eren's grasp, but at some point Eren's leg had slipped between his legs, alternating between keeping his friend up and causing a sudden amount of pleasure that the smaller boy couldn't explain.

He gasped against Eren's lips and Eren took the opportunity to have his tongue invade Armin's mouth. The warm muscle wrapped around his in a tender embrace, much like their own. The sounds from within their mouths rang in his ears while the two learned to breathe through either the gaps between their lips or their noses. Eren was a fast learner, getting him the opportunity to use this skill wisely, but Armin wasn't as fortunate. He had no choice but to pull away, his lungs clenching in pain before he gasped for breath.

Eren saw another opportunity for himself and took it. He pressed his damp lips against the pale column of Armin's neck, sucking where he felt his pulse beating the strongest. The smaller boy whimpered from the sensation, his legs going weak to the point where most of his weight was being held by Eren's leg. He didn't see any other reason why considering that he wasn't standing on his own, so a leg of his lifted up over Eren's own hip. Eren shivered, feeling a heat pooling in his lower abdomen as he pulled on Armin's other leg, lifting it up and over his other hip.

Armin felt the wall slide behind his back and now he was only an inch or two higher than Eren with the way he was being held. Eren moved his lips around Armin's neck, pressing to the other side of his neck and just below his ear. The spot was a lot more sensitive that either had predicted and Armin moaned quietly, the sound echoing off of the walls in the hallway.

"Aha, E-Eren…" He whined and shuffled his body within his arms. Eren stopped torturing his neck and pulled Armin in for another kiss. Their lips connected, their tongues danced together and a bit of saliva dribbled past their lips. Armin finally caught on, on how to breathe while kissing like this, giving him all the time he could ever want or need.

His hands were running along Eren's sides, fingers gripping at the belts and buckles of his 3D Maneuver Gear. His arms pushed against the jacket, noticing the sudden block in his path. He hastily yanked on the jacket, trying to get rid of it so there wouldn't be any more hindrances. Eren grunted at the gesture, his arms slipping away one at a time to get the jacket off of him. Their kiss momentarily broke so he could remove the jacket, but once gone, it was nothing but lips against lips.

Armin ran his hands up Eren's arms, feeling the muscles of his toned arms as he ran his hands over them. He could also feel the bandage under the sleeve of his shirt. He was mildly aware of the injury on Eren's arm and that he should try not to irritate it, but it was so hard to do. Eren's strong forearms were holding him off of the ground and balancing him. They were keeping him in a strong but gentle embrace all at the same time. They were warm, reminding him of Eren's body heat and keeping him in a distant reality, and when those hands were suddenly slipping under his shirt, his reality was gone.

"Hah ah, Eren," He tilted his head back against the wall and sighed. He arched his back, feeling Eren's warm hand constantly pressing down on his skin. He tightened his grip around Eren and hid his face away into Eren's shoulder, his whimpers reaching Eren's ear.

And then it was like something clicked. It was like realization was tossed right back into his face. Eren stopped his actions, his hand slowly slipping out from under Armin's shirt to touch the boy's back carefully. Armin could feel the change in Eren's mood without having to look, but just before he could lean back and question his friend, Eren's hands were escaping, slamming against the wall and pushing himself back. The two separated, Armin falling to the ground so swiftly that it knocked the air out of him while Eren fell against the wall on the other side of the hallway.

The two were suddenly panting, eyes wide and staring at each other in a mix of worry, surprise, fear, anticipation; the list was endless. Once Armin could feel some coherent thoughts, he realized what it was that happened.

All he asked for was a kiss; just one touch of their lips. They weren't supposed to go that far and shouldn't have, yet they did.

Armin gripped his shirt, feeling the cold air seeping in through the places that weren't covered and had been touched by Eren's warm body. He was suddenly cold and shivering, but he couldn't tell if he was shivering because of what had just happened or because it was cold. More than likely it was a mixture of both.

"… S… Sorry…" He said between ragged breaths. Eren looked away and crossed his legs, trying to hide the evidence of what happened and that it had truly affected him. He ran his fingers through the fringe of his bangs and tried to clear the mess Armin had made by running his fingers through each individual tangle. He didn't have much to say, not now at least while the blood was still rushing into places that he couldn't let on about.

Not only was he aroused, but he was utterly embarrassed. Never, in a million years, did he think that he'd ever go so far with anyone, let alone Armin. They had shared their first kiss and Eren made a mental promise never to do anything so drastic ever again, no matter what the consequences, but what they had just done destroyed all promises (and probably some laws) that he had set up. The indecency he just acted upon his best friend was too much. That wasn't supposed to happen.

He cleared his throat and forced his brain to think.

"… D-Did you…" He stopped to wipe his lips on the back of his sleeve. "Do you remember anything from that?" Eren asked. Eren was secretly praying that he did, because then things could go back to normal and would no longer be so confusing. He wouldn't have to be so internally confused and questioning every little thing that happened between then.

However, there was a part of him hoping that Armin didn't remember anything. Why was that?

Armin looked at the floor, watching his feet and nothing else. He blinked as much of the daze from his eyes again as he could and tried to think. He was so lost in their actions that he wasn't paying attention, but now that he thought about it, did he see some things that were familiar? The images were still blurry and unfocused, but they were there. That time he was sure of it. Was it his mind playing tricks on him?

"… No…" He answered. Without definitive proof he couldn't possibly lie and say he did. He didn't want to get Eren's hope up like that and then crush them. At the same time he didn't want to hurt Eren's feelings. Either way, though, he was going to lose. There was nothing he could say or do to raise the stakes for him. He was at a loss.

Eren got the picture. He didn't need to be told twice. He nodded his head, the tears slipping down his eyes before he could stop them. He couldn't hold back anymore and at this point he didn't care who saw him cry. He was tired, he was irate, he was bleary and all he wanted to do was hide.

Armin watched as Eren wiped the tears away against his bandaged arm and stood up.

"… Eren?" He asked in a mumble. Eren paced over to Armin only to grab his jacket on the ground. After that he left without another word and all Armin could do was watch with jarred emotions.

* * *

**A/N: I gotta ask you people something. Next chapter is a big one (probably going to be long too, just saying. XD) and there's a moment where someone is needed to help Armin with something. Now I want Mikasa to help him, but I'm leaning more towards the doctor. Tell me what you people think. Should the doctor regain his fans?**

**Doctor- What fans?**

**Please say no because I am truly ashamed of this man. For those who want to know what he looks like, I'll put the link up again of who I am picturing when I write this. XD**

** 2012/08/17/to-the-beautiful-you-episode-02-zombie- recap/beautiful_you_ep02_0247/**

***Fully ashamed of this man* God damn you doctor. XD**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: IMPORTANT: There is one more chapter after this! We aren't done yet! X'D Okay, listing things before I forget them (cause you know me and my memory XD)**

**1: The back story the two have (the one about the barn) was only supposed to come up once or twice throughout this fanfic. It somehow connected together though with similar moments throughout the fanfic, making it seem like it was all one moment, but that's not true. I don't know how I did it, but it worked out that way. XD**

**2: For this chapter (and starting around chapter nine... ish XD) I had many issues with writing it. It's just that I had pictured it one way, but I then forgot about one way and wrote it another. There were parts in this (ones I'm sure you can find on your own) that were re-written three or four times before I settled with how this is here. XD **

**3: Fun fact, this WHOLE fanfic was originally a one shot. Yep! Chapters 1 and 11 were originally all there was to this fanfic, but I extended it more than once until I decided to add chapters. X'D**

**4: With this fanfic I did a lot of research about brain hemorrhaging and I already knew some stuff about Phantom Pain (WHICH IS A REAL THING!) So please tell me if you think the information is accurate or not.**

**5: Heey~ People do actually read what I say up here. XD**

**6: I said this chapter would be long.**

**7: THIS IS IMPORTANT! I've had people (not on here but other places) say that they read my fanfics while in school. That's a big no no on my part. From now on, all of my fanfics will be uploaded only on the weekends. (Yes my friends, that means the final chapter of this will be up next week.) Sorry everyone. ^^' I do love you people, but school is an important thing in my heart, so please respect that and my decision.**

**As said before (and will be said in the last chapter) I am working on multiple fanfics for SNK. Right now I have two Ereri one shots, one Eremin that consists of three chapters (and will be uploaded when this is done) and and then one Eremin fanfic. Hehe~**

**Song for the day:**

**Beautiful World by Utada Hikaru**

**-Misty**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 11: Wake Me Up**

* * *

That night was restless.

Armin tossed and turned in his bunk bed, his body convulsing in pain and his skin damp with a cold sweat. His head was aching with pain, a pain like any he had ever felt.

He remembered enough in his life to know that this thriving sensation was more intense than anything he'd felt before. He ground his teeth together, hoping to keep himself quiet. It was all he could do to keep from screaming and waking up the other cadets.

He couldn't stand it. He couldn't bear it. He tossed around some more, trying desperately to find sleep and seek solace out of this pain, but the pain was far too great.

This pain had been there since Eren had left him alone in the hallway hours before. It started out small, like a normal, everyday headache, but it started to grow and grow. By the time the pain had proven too great, it was far too late at night to do anything about it. He thought he could just grind his teeth and bear with it, but that was proving too difficult.

He had long ago started crying, the tears seeping down his cheeks and drenching his pillow beneath him, only adding to the discomfort. No matter what he did, whether it was rubbing his head or biting his hand to distract one pain from another, it wasn't enough.

It felt like his brain was throbbing in his head. It felt like it was swelling, pressing against the inside of his skull until eventually it would either be crushed and kill him or his skull would pop like a balloon.

He had read in that medical book that there were some instances where that happened. The brain would swell or there was an injury, causing blood to crush the brain within a person's body. He prayed to whatever god that was up there that, that wasn't what was happening to him.

He couldn't deal with it anymore. He needed to find relief, if any.

He pulled his covers back; the cold night air biting at his skin and making him shake even more. He stood up, and as soon as he did he fell backwards. His aching head whacked against the top bunk of the bed and Armin froze with fear and bit harshly into his bottom lip, trying not to wake anyone. He hadn't realized how the world was spinning until he was standing, but it was terribly off balance for him. It was like the Earth was spinning under him (which was true in many ways, but not in his case).

Everything on him was even more sensitive than ever. He tried again, mindful of the spinning world and leaned against the bed frame. His nails dug into the wood and the sound was amplified ten times in his ears. It felt like his nails were bleeding from the action and that his feet were stepping on nails. He let out a silent scream of pain as he continued.

He used both the bed frames and walls to keep him standing straight, but the walls were so cold and the wood had splinters. He bit his knuckles, trying to distract himself, but it was just even more pain.

Stepping outside, it was like he was staring into the flames of hell, when in reality it was only the soft glow of the moon.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Armin walked, barefooted and barely clothed on the dirty ground. He could care less about the dirt, though the rocks on the bottom of his feet weren't all too pleasing. Outside he dared to let whimpers out from the bottom of his throat, the pain being too unbearable. If he knew that at some point in his life he'd have to face this pain again, he gladly chose a sweet and blissful death. Death was easier than this pain.

Armin looked around, the world still spinning as he tried to focus on the buildings. Where was it he wanted to go to again? A place to help him... The infirmary. Why were the ideas leaving him? Why was he suffering so much?

He felt a fit of nausea hit him, but at the same time he spotted the infirmary. It looked so far away, but as he walked he found it only a meter away. His feet stumbled against the stairs, stubbing his toes and falling into, what felt like, a pile of pins and needles. He bit back another throat clenching cry as he crawled up the stairs and to the patio before the door. He nearly gave up there, feeling a sudden pulse in his head that made things go black. For how long he didn't know, but it was still dark and he was still breathing by the time he could see again.

He forced himself up, using the wall to be his guide and grabbed at the screen door. He swung it open, walked in, and when he saw the doctor look up at him from his paper work he really did give in. He fell to the floor and grabbed his head as he screamed, his lungs hurting and his throat becoming raw. It was too much to bear. He couldn't do it.

He wasn't aware of anything anymore. He couldn't see anything that wasn't two inches from his face and everything around him was muffled. He was vaguely aware that someone was talking to him, but it was so dense that he couldn't make out a thing. Was someone saying his name? He wasn't even sure.

He could feel his body moving, but it wasn't him making it move. He could feel pressure around his back and his legs and the pins and blades of the cold, hard ground were gone. He was hoisted into the air, away from the cold and placed on something softer; something that didn't feel like it was cutting into his skin. He opened his eyes long enough to see arms encasing him, then seeing the soft, white sheets of a bed. He closed his eyes and screamed once again when the pain in his head made itself known.

"Arlert, what happened?"

Was someone talking to him? Whose voice was that? He couldn't hear them.

"You need to tell me where the pain is. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

Why were they trying to talk? He couldn't hear. He couldn't see.

"Arlert, focus on me, damn it."

Armin rolled his head back, his throat tightening. He let out a contorted groan of pain.

"Focus, Arlert, focus."

Armin opened his eyes, getting a painful surprise when a light was shined in his face. He whined in pain and tried to move the light away, but it kept coming back. Someone forced one of his eyes open and Armin could see the blurred, black silhouette of someone.

"That's right, good job." The voice was getting clearer. The outline was thinning out. "I need you to point to where the pain is."

Armin squirmed under the pressure against his chest. He could feel things against his body, like hands on his head or the tears slipping down his cheeks. The pain was numbing; he didn't know how long it would last, so he took the opportunity to point a shaking hand to his head.

"Your head...? Did you hit your head at all today?" The doctor questioned. Armin felt his whole body was damp with his sweat as he tried to sit up, but the doctor was keeping a firm grip on his shoulder and holding him down. All he could do was nod his head, getting the sudden nauseous feeling. Oh no, not just a feeling.

Armin forcefully pushed away the doctor's hands, just in time to lean over the bed side and vomit his dinner. The doctor narrowly avoided the boy's stomach acid, but he didn't leave his side. He simply patted Armin's back, trying to be gentle and help the boy. Soon, after what felt like hours of the sick feeling the food sliding up his throat and of feeling like his ribs were going to break, he finally stopped.

"You've got a bad concussion." The doctor explained. Armin fell back against the bed, a panting, quivering mess. "Why didn't you come to me when you hit your head?" The doctor asked. He barely saw the healing wound under Armin's bangs and brushed them back to look at it.

When Armin tried thinking back to why he never came, Eren came to mind, and so did all of the pain. He gripped at his hair, his body writhing as he cried against his arms.

"Arlert...!" The doctor grabbed Armin's hands and pulled them away when Armin started scratching painful red lines down his head.

"I-I c-couldn't!" Armin cried and fought with the man's arms.

"Couldn't what?" The doctor pursued. Armin cried in pain, his hands scratching away at what he could get of the doctor.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

"Arlert, you need to tell me-" His voice was muffled by an agonizing scream from Armin. The doctor pulled his glasses off of his face and placed by the bedside table while cursing to himself.

So many things could be wrong with the poor boy and he didn't even know what. It could be a case of a brain hemorrhage and it wouldn't surprise him if it wasn't. Armin had hit his head twice within a week, both an obvious and serious damage to his psyche. He didn't know anything about Armin's family tree. For all he knew the boy could have a history of aneurisms in his family and no one would be able to tell. If either of those were the case then he would have to drill a hole into the boy's skull to release the bleeding, but he couldn't do it without permission.

Armin let out another scream, his tears slipping onto his nightshirt. The doctor knew there was no way to get a verbal answer from the boy, but what could he do? If he didn't do something now, the injury, whatever it was, could either mentally damage him or kill him.

"Fucking hell..." The doctor cursed. Armin's body began to convulse and he bit his bottom lip. He leaned over the side of the bed and pushed the boy onto his back, quickly getting protests from him. "Listen Arlert, I'm going to get your friends, Ackerman and Jaeger. They are the only ones who can help me at the moment." He said.

He didn't know how much went into Armin's head, but he needed to say it, just in case.

He turned to leave, but just as he did, a hand snatched at the end of his white lab coat. He turned to see Armin sitting over the edge of the bed, his pale and clammy hand grasping the end of his coat between his index finger and thumb. He was still in obvious pain, but he was shaking his head at the same time.

"N-No, don't-don't bring Ere-" He stopped to scream again, letting go of the doctor's jacket to grip his head. He fell back against the bed, the flimsy pillow doing nothing as his head hit the mattress.

The doctor stood still, watching the boy writhe with pain as he furrowed his eye brows. He watched a few more moments before stepping back to Armin's side and grabbing his hand.

"I'm going to go get Jaeger." He said. Armin protested again. He opened his mouth to tell the doctor not to do that, but all that left him was another cry. The tinnitus in his ears was deafening and he didn't hear the next words coming out of the doctor lips.

"Phantom pain...?" He questioned himself. Armin's nails dug into his hand, reminding him that the boy was still clinging to consciousness.

He had heard of both phantom pain and amnesia before, both being so common in the medical industry, but having the two related to one another was unheard of. In fact, it had never happened before. What was causing them to suddenly coincide with each other? What event was it that created this puzzling reaction?

Armin rolled onto his side, digging his face into the pillow beneath him as he muffled his screaming. This exposed the injury to the back of his head. The doctor's eyes fell to the injury, noticing the irritation to them and the slight blood stains in his hair. He clicked his tongue; how typical of the boy to forget to keep his wound clean.

Then it hit him.

'Oh... _Oh..._' He rolled his eyes.

Now it made sense. The phantom pain was the memories he couldn't remember, and it wasn't just a few. He knew exactly what it was that was causing the pain to occur; it was what was making his head ache so bad.

"Listen to me, Arlert." He said in a stern tone. He returned the firm grip around Armin's hand, noticing that Armin's hand started going flimsy. "Don't give up on me now." He forced Armin back so he was once again lying on his back.

Armin's skin had turned so pale, and if it weren't for his breathing he could have easily passed off as dead. His eyes were dull and his pupils were dilated, barely letting his natural color show. He was panting and sweating, but his skin was cold and damp.

"Arlert, can you hear me?" The doctor asked. Armin's eyes flickered to life for a moment to look at the doctor. It took a couple of moments for the words to go through his tired mind, but once that was done he nodded his head. "Good. We're going to try something and you aren't going to like it." The doctor said.

Armin swallowed down on his dry throat. He didn't like those words.

"I'm not going to lie to you; this is going to hurt, but understand this. If we do this right, you're going to remember your friend. You'll have your memories of Jaeger back." The doctor said. A flash of hope wet through Armin's eyes, but the pain was back on him again.

He leaned his head back into the pillow and cried through his clenched up teeth. Just seeing this proved the doctor's theory was correct. It was Armin's altered memories of Eren that were causing his pain. They were slipping up, trying to come back, but for some reason they couldn't. It was causing his brain to work on overtime and it was giving him unbelievable pain.

The doctor felt Armin's nails in his hand again, but he braced himself for more pain. This was going to be a long night.

"Don't fight this, Arlert. You need to keep thinking about Jaeger." The doctor said. Just the mention of his name made Armin screech. He was fighting against the pain and the memories.

"Arlert, if you fight against the memories then they'll go away. You won't ever be able to remember Jaeger. Is that what you want?" The doctor asked. Tears slipped from Armin's eyes and he shook his head. No, it wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't what he wanted at all.

"Answer me, Arlert." The doctor hissed.

"N-No..." Armin's voice cracked at the raw pain in his throat.

"I can't hear you, Arlert!" The doctor's voice boomed at him.

"I-I said no-"

"Do you really want to forget about Jaeger?"

"No!" Armin cried. His eyes burned with falling tears and his chest was starting to ache from the clenching pain to his ribs.

"Then you need to think and think _properly._" The doctor forced Armin to stay as still as possible, to stop thrashing so much. He needed the boy to hold still to breathe better. "Think about Jaeger." His voice softened.

Armin winced in pain. His mind was so mottled with too many things. He couldn't think properly, not when this pain was killing him at least.

"Arlert, who was there when you woke up?" The doctor asked. Armin rolled his head to the side, the pain edging back to unbearable. The older man grabbed Armin's chin between his fingers and pulled the boy's face back to his. "Answer me!"

"I-It was E-Eren." Armin answered. The name rolled of his tongue and his vision darkened as pressure was put to his temples.

"Good." The doctor said. Armin scratched at his hand, forcing him to let go. He could tell that Armin was catching on to what was going on. He could sense that it was all connected with Eren, making half of the battle over and won. The main battle now was going to be the most brutal and violent part. That's why he was starting out with small things, to edge the memories along slowly instead of forcing them back all together.

"And who has been staying by you since you woke up?" The doctor asked. Armin groaned, his toes curling and his fingers clenching tighter into the man's hand as he answered.

"E-Eren!" He gasped for air that wasn't in his lungs.

"Keep those things in your mind, Arlert. Remember those two things, understood?" Armin nodded his head. "Good. Now tell me about how you met Jaeger." He said.

"M-Mikasa said... T-That Eren-" He stopped to tighten his closed eyes. The mention of his name hurt his head too much. "Saved me... Fr-from some bullies..."

"Good, but not what I'm looking for. I don't want to hear about what Ackerman told you, I want to hear about how you two met." The doctor's voice dropped as he spoke.

"I-I can't remember-"

"Then think." His voice was harsh and stern, but he couldn't sugarcoat what was going on. He had said that it was going to hurt and being gentle about it wasn't the way to go. "How did you two meet? I want to know."

"I don't kn-" The doctor pushed down on Armin's chest, constricting his breathing.

"How did you two meet?" His voice was like a snake's teeth dripping of venom. "If Ackerman told you how you met, you can remember the conditions to which it happened, so remember." Armin struggled against the doctor's hand, trying to breathe and remember all at the same time. The doctor lightened his grip so he could speak.

"T-They were... Beating me u-up." Armin felt the pain in his head starting to throb. He ground his teeth together again, his eyes closing painfully to block out the burning light shining in his eyes. "A-And..." What happened after that? They left him alone, but why?

"And what?" The doctor provoked him.

They wouldn't have left him alone. He kept saying that they were just jealous of him and they weren't happy with it. Why did they stop?

"And what, Arlert?" He asked, his hand tightening to a painful extent around the younger boy's hand.

"S-Someone must have h-helped me." The ringing in his ears was getting too loud. How he understood what it was the doctor was saying to him was a mystery. His voice was distorted enough as it was.

"Must have? Try again," The doctor forced one of Armin's eyes open, making sure his focus was on him.

"I-" Armin saw the look in the doctor's eyes and stopped. He definitely didn't want to piss him off. "No... Someone... Was there..."

That had to be right. Those kids wouldn't have left him alone for anything. Someone must have gotten rid of them for him.

"Make a list of people who could have helped you." The doctor said.

"I-I don't know..." Armin felt the pain increasing. He tried pulling away from the doctor so he could press his hands against his head, but the doctor wouldn't let go.

"Your friends?" He asked.

"I-I didn't have any." Armin mumbled and cringed. His body was shaking and his bones were aching from the pressure.

"Ackerman said you met Jaeger that day. Wouldn't it make sense that it was him who saved you?" The doctor asked.

"T-That's what Mikasa said-" The doctor pushed against his chest again, cutting off his words.

"Not what she said. What do _you_ remember?" He asked. His black eyes were burning holes into Armin's head, causing even more discomfort for the poor boy, but that wasn't what frightened him most. It was the look of anger going across the doctor's face that scared him the most.

"I don't remember," Armin forced his eye shut as he spoke. His throat was raw from screaming and crying and his body was practically drenched with sweat. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out.

"What do you remember?" The doctor asked. Armin waited a moment before answering, getting the chance to breathe.

"T-They were yelling... And..." This part was fuzzing, like a lot of other parts. "S-Someone was... Yelling back..." His head was throbbing with pain.

"Keep going..."

"They ran away after a while... I c-can't remember why."

"Try."

"I can't!"

"Then guess!" His angry voice got Armin to listen. He shuffled for a few minutes, his head aching before he had finally could answer.

"... One was h-hurt... He got hurt."

"By who?" The doctor finally released his entire grip on his chest. The doctor sat down on the edge of the bed while fishing in his pocket for something. He pulled out an old pocket watch.

Had it already been an hour?

"... They all got hurt..." Armin mumbled. The doctor looked away from his pocket watch to the boy. Armin's eyes were half-lidded, distant and tired.

"Hey, we're far from done." The doctor shook the boy's shoulder and said. "You need to stay awake." Armin shook his head, as if trying to wake up more. "We're going to try something different now, okay? We're going to try another memory." The doctor explained.

Armin hummed in response. He even sounded tired.

"Tell me about a time from your past that you were excited for." The doctor demanded in a softer tone.

"The book..." Armin mumbled the answer without having to think about it.

"What book?" The older man asked

"The book my grandfather had about the outside world..." The little light in Armin's eyes grew brighter from the memory. "I was so excited about everything in it."

"Aren't things like that illegal?" The doctor questioned. Armin nodded his head.

"That's what everyone said, but I didn't care..." The pain was starting to ebb away. It made it easier to concentrate and relax.

"Did you ever show the book to anyone?" The doctor asked. It's true that he was inclined to tell the higher ups about this incident (unaware that the book had been destroyed years ago), but he was more interested in the younger boy in front of him.

"Yes..."

"Who...? Armin blinked a few times. He noticed the pain start to come back.

"I-I don't-"

"We aren't stopping now, Armin. Who else did you show the book to?" The doctor used his stern voice again.

They were close, he could tell. He just needed a little more pushing.

"M-Mikasa..." Armin paused to think. "She said Eren saw it too."

"Did he see it or did you show it to him?"

"... I guess I showed him..." Armin cringed. The pain was getting worse. He would do anything if it meant the waves of agonizing pain would go away.

"What did he say?" The doctor asked.

"Mikasa s-said that anyone who got to go outside the walls would be free," Armin repeated the words like they were said to him. "That's what she told me he said."

"Did she say that or did Jaeger say that?"

"She said that it was-" He was stopped by a flick of fingers to the front of his head. "H-He said it!" He whined.

"Why did he say it?"

"B-Because he was excited."

"And why was he excited?"

"Because he wanted to go outside the walls too."

"What makes you think he would want to go outside the wall?"

"Because he said so-" He felt a pain in his chest.

"When did he say so?"

"When I showed him the book!" He was getting annoyed.

"When did you show him the book?"

"After I found it!"

"Where did you find it?"

"Hidden in my grandfather's chest." Armin struggled with his words as he tried to answer the questions.

"Why was it hidden?" The doctor asked.

"Be-Because anything about the outside world was illegal-"

"Who said?" Armin huffed, angry that the doctor wouldn't let him finish.

"E-Everyone said-"

"Who said, Arlert?" The doctor's voice said.

"Everyone said!"

"Who else?"

"What do you mean "who else?" Everyone said it, even Eren-!"

He stopped.

Eren had said that, hadn't he?

The doctor leaned back, releasing his grip on Armin's hand completely.

"Was that something Ackerman told you?"

He already knew the answer. The look on the young, blond haired boy's face was all the answer he needed.

"No... Mikasa wasn't there... Eren said it... When I showed it to him," Armin sat up on the pillow below his head.

The pain was gone; just like that. The room was dark and the only source of light in the room was a candle on the doctor's desk. That was the light that minutes before was blinding him.

It was so quiet in the infirmary. All he could hear was his frantic breathing. The doctor didn't even make much sound. All he did was shift and the bed creaked under his added body weight.

"What else did Jaeger say?" The doctor fished around in his pocket again until he found his cigarettes.

"He said... The Military Police would take it if they found it... But I didn't care..." Armin pushed himself up onto his elbows as he spoke. His body was aching and sore, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt before.

"What happened after that?" The doctor lit his cigarette and took a quick puff of it.

"I... Showed him the book... I told him about the ocean... He wants to go there with me some day." Armin felt tears prickle in his eyes.

He _remembered_ that.

"Tell me about those bullies, Arlert." The doctor blew out the disgusting smelling smoke and said.

"What about them?" The numbness in his body was dissipating quickly. Armin could feel his wet clothes sticking to his body.

"Who hurt them? Who made them go away?" The doctor asked.

"... Eren did... That's how we met." Armin's blue and teary eyes widened. "He protected me…"

"Is that what Ackerman told you?" The doctor questioned him.

"... No... That's what happened." The doctor smiled. He reached for his glasses on the bedside table and put them on.

"... Eren... I remember him..." Armin rubbed his cheeks with his wet sleeve, trying to get rid of the tears, but they wouldn't stop falling. "I remember my best friend." He felt sobs rack through his body, but for all different reasons.

He was happy.

"Yes you do." The doctor nodded his head and took another puff of his cigarette. Armin looked up at him, seeing the scratches to his hand and a few to his face that Armin barely remembered making. He looked away from him and then to the window above his bed to see the moon. It was glowing in the dark night, lighting up the area in a very beautiful way. He didn't understand how the moon was such a blinding light to him hours before.

"You did well, Arlert." He praised. He patted the boy's head, feeling the damp hair under his fingers. Armin looked up to him and watched his injured hand pull away.

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled with guilt.

"Don't be. You could have done a lot worse." The doctor looked at his pocket watch while smoking his cigarette.

"What time is it?" Armin asked.

"Two in the morning," The doctor answered. Armin rubbed his eyes, feeling the fatigue hit him fast. " You should rest. You've had a long night."

"But..." Armin looked around outside, looking at all the little details from the grass and dirt to the trees. Nothing was spinning and everything was bright, vivid colors, not just black, gray or dark.

"But...?" The doctor dropped the cigarette on the floor and stomped it out. "No buts. Get some rest. It won't be long before morning and when Shadis hears about your memories it's going to be right back to work for you." The doctor explained.

Armin sighed as he fell back against the bed. The sheets under him were wet and so were his clothes. The pillow was drenched from his tears and it was completely uncomfortable to sit on. He covered himself in the blanket he nearly tore apart and rolled into it, trying to get comfortable, but too much was on his mind, and all of it was about Eren.

All the memories were as clear as day, just like when they had happened. All of what Mikasa had said was true, as true as what she knew. The memories of Eren fighting off the bullies, of Armin showing him the book, of Eren being just as excited as he was; all of it was there. There was nothing about them that was blurry and there was no fuzz. It didn't feel like anything was altered. He didn't feel confused or alone anymore.

Now all he wanted to do was tell Eren. Sleep be damned, he didn't care whether he slept another day in his life ever again, he just wanted Eren to know, because Eren was still suffering, and he would continue to suffer until Armin was finally able to tell him. Armin didn't want to let it go on another second let alone hours until everyone woke up. He just had to tell him.

Armin peaked up from his blankets to see the doctor back at his desk, scribbling something onto paper. He seemed rather distracted, but not so distracted that Armin could walk right through the door two feet from his desk. Could Armin say he had to go to the bathroom and leave, hoping the doctor would buy it? It seemed like the only idea that had a chance of working.

Armin quietly sat up from his bed and looked at the doctor. His feet touched the creaky wood floor, but the doctor seemed too busy writing to notice. He tiptoed his way to the door, staring at the doctor from the corner of his blue eyes. One particular step made the wood creak, almost painfully loud in the quiet room. Armin physically stopped, watching the doctor. How did he not hear that?

Deciding that it was okay to go on, Armin forced himself to act like he wasn't up to trouble as he quietly moved to the door.

"Arlert." Maybe he thought too soon. "What are you doing?" The doctor looked up from his writing to stare at the boy. He removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose as Armin started fiddling with his fingers by his stomach.

"S-Sorry sir, I just… Had to use the bathroom." Armin proclaimed. The doctor sat back in his chair and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

"There's a bathroom here." He said as he motioned to the bathroom. Armin looked to the bathroom and nodded, but inside he was mentally kicking himself and hating the situation. All he wanted to do was go see Eren.

"Oh… Thank you…" Armin mumbled. His shoulders slumped over as he started trudging over to the bathroom.

"Armin," The doctor spoke up. Armin looked over at him, surprised that the doctor would break the rules and call him by his given name and not his birth name.

"Yes…?" He straightened up, hoping not to get mocked for his bad posture.

"Go find Jeager." The doctor turned back in his seat and went back to writing. Armin couldn't seem to move after hearing the words come out of the doctor's mouth.

Did he really just give him permission to find Eren? Had Armin misheard him? Was he imagining the whole thing?

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go find your friend." The doctor waved his hand over his shoulder and motioned for Armin to leave. The young boy grinned from ear to ear in happiness.

"Thank you, sir!" Armin left the room after that, heading for the barracks where Eren would be.

Upon stepping outside, he remembered (but just barely) how painful the ground could be. It wasn't like before where it felt like glass was cutting into the skin of his feet, but regardless, he wasn't wearing shoes and the rocks and twigs hurt to step on. It was also cold. It wasn't so bad that he'd be shivering, but it was chilly and he was only in his pajamas, which were still damp with sweat, making it colder.

Dashing for the barracks, he stopped mid step to remember that everyone was still sleeping. He quietly entered the room, the sudden air of warmth hitting him and warming up his body. He was as quiet as he could be as he paced himself over to where he and Eren normally slept, only to find Eren's bed empty. Armin could have sworn that Eren went to bed like everyone else, but his bed looked clean and untouched, unlike his which was tousled and with a wet pillow case. Armin looked around the room, wondering if Eren possibly moved to another bed that may have been vacant, but to no luck.

Where could he have gone to?

Armin sat against the edge of his bed and changed out of his sleeping attire. There was no use making himself sick and it wouldn't do anything to help Eren. Once he shed the tattered attire, he put on warmer clothes, knowing it was chilly outside. He then slipped on his shoes so he wouldn't have to step on anything more. Finally he sneaked right back out of the barrack. No sense in staying while Eren wasn't there.

He lifted the collar of his sweater over his nose, feeling the crisp (now morning) air bite at his nose. He looked around the area, checking to make sure Eren wasn't anywhere in his line of sight, which he wasn't. Armin tried to think of all the places Eren would ever go when he wanted to be alone, but there weren't many places in the Training Corps that would allow that. It was either heading to the endurance course in the forest and hiding out there or going down to the fresh water spring. Considering that the fresh water spring was closer to the barracks then the forest, Armin thought it'd be better to go there first.

And what a good idea it was.

After the short walk in the cold air, he made it to the fresh water spring. The water was glistening and shining in the moonlight. Eren was sitting by the water's edge, tossing flat rocks into the water and making the flat stones skip. Armin noticed that he was still in his maneuver gear from training hours earlier, but Armin could have sworn that Eren went to bed with him. Maybe he had been in so much pain that he just imagined everything.

Armin watched Eren for a few minutes, his heart beating miles an hour as he watched Eren throw rocks into the water. Some had been successful, skipping for a few feet before sinking into the water. Others weren't as fortunate, simply sinking upon contact with the water. During that few minutes Eren was quiet except for a few sighs and mumbles that Armin couldn't make out. Armin felt bad for him, but he wasn't sure if he could move anymore.

His body was shaking from anticipation, fear and the cold all at the same time. His heart was pounding in his throat and ears and making it hard to breathe and hear. What was he going to say to Eren? How was he going to tell Eren the good news? He wanted to simply jump out and say, _"I remember you,"_ But part of him didn't want to do that.

After another minute his heart felt like it was about ready to burst. Armin bent down and picked a small, round and soft rock up off of the ground. Looking over at Eren, Armin lifted the small rock and tossed it at his head. The rock was a direct impact, seeming to startle Eren from whatever dazed state he was in and waking him up. Eren rubbed the back of his head and turned around, looking for the source of the sudden absurd hit to the back of his head, but he was greeted by the sight of his smiling friend.

"Armin…?" He said in a sleepy voice.

"Hi Eren," Armin plopped on the ground beside his friend, his smile never leaving his face. Eren glanced at him with confusion, his eyes showing a mix of concern and petulance.

"W-What are you doing here?" He asked. Armin looked back at him while letting his head fall against Eren's shoulder. Eren quickly stiffened to the gesture and even though Armin noticed the abrupt fright, he didn't move.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Armin playfully reprimanded. Eren looked away from him, trying to think of anything else besides what took place between them that day, or rather, the day before.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Eren asked quietly. Armin sighed as he rubbed his head against Eren's shoulder, hoping for the taller boy to hurry up and do something about him being cold. He was rigid, but eventually Eren wrapped a shaking arm around him and his hand fell on Armin's hip.

"I couldn't sleep…" Armin finally answered. "What about you?" He looked up at Eren, unconsciously giving him an adorable pouty look.

"I couldn't sleep either…" Eren looked back to the water and tossed another rock that had already been in his hand. It bounced a few feet against the water before slipping under water. Armin looked at the ground around him for something similar to what Eren had. Once finding a suitable river stone, Armin tossed it away into the water. It didn't even bother to make much of a splash when it sank, it just sunk.

"I've always sucked at this…" Armin whined and went back to cuddling by Eren. He peaked up at Eren, hoping the boy would catch the subtle hint, but it didn't seem to work.

"It takes practice…" Eren mumbled distractedly. Armin looked away from him and sighed.

"It's cold." He said through a loose breath. Eren nodded in agreement, completely oblivious to what was going on through Armin's mind. The smaller boy cuddled closer, placing a tentative hand against Eren's chest and the other against his waist. Eren stiffened again, obviously uncomfortable with the contact, but he didn't move either.

"You should be in the barracks and sleeping then… It's warmer in there than it is here." Eren quietly said. Armin could tell that Eren was uncomfortable and tense, but Armin wasn't leaving until Eren knew the truth.

"I don't think so. I'm quite warm right here." Armin rubbed his head against Eren's shoulder and said. Eren stifled a laugh and rubbed his hand side to side against Armin's hip.

"I can't be _that _warm." He said. Armin shook his head in disagreement.

"No, you're really warm. You've always had a warm body…" Armin mumbled.

There, another hint; Eren didn't seem to take the comment into mind, though. (Although the warm body part had him blushing.) Maybe he shouldn't be as discrete as he was being.

"I don't think that's true." Eren laughed a little as he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. Armin watched him again, thinking of ways he could let Eren on about his memories.

"No, it is. You've kept me warm whenever we were together…" Armin closed his eyes and thought back to all of the times like this where they would be huddled together, trying to keep warm, whether they were in the barn or at home. He thought about how they cuddled together in front of a warm fire after playing for hours on end in the snow, sitting under a heavy blanket and trying to sip down the hot drinks in their hands.

Having his memories back made him want to cry.

'_I get what you meant now, Mikasa…'_ Armin lifted his head up slightly to place it in the crook of Eren's neck, breathing in his natural scent and feeling his heat radiate off of his skin.

"Are you tired, Armin?" Eren asked. Armin felt a shiver run along his spine. It was nice to have Eren say his name, and to remember the other times he'd done it before. He didn't realize how he would appreciate all of the small things until they had been taken from him. He wouldn't take them for granted ever again.

"A little… I'm okay though." Armin started playing with the belt buckle around Eren's chest, letting his fingers slip around the cold metal and then on the leather that seemed just as cold.

"You should go to sleep. You need to rest." Eren mumbled. Armin closed his eyes and sighed, deciding it was better not to give a verbal answer. "I didn't mean on me, Armin." Eren laughed a little and Armin realized that it must have looked like what he was trying to do. He didn't say anything, though; he simply stayed close and quiet.

Eren's soft and heavenly laugh made him happy, so happy that he probably could fall asleep right there. If Eren would let him then Armin would definitely try.

Eren's arms wrapped around him tighter, his body shifting and Armin's head falling on Eren's chest. Armin whined and looked up at Eren, giving him a look that begged him for answers.

"Go back to bed, Armin." Eren said with a soft smile.

"Come with me then…" Armin said. Eren had to look away for a moment, feeling a blush creep on his cheeks from the constant eye contact Armin had with him.

"I'm going to stay here for a few more minutes." Eren explained. He could see the unhappy look go across Armin's face.

"Then so am I." Armin asserted.

"Armin-"

"I'm not leaving you, Eren." The boy interrupted him and spoke. Eren was taken aback by the suddenness and the tone of his voice, swallowing in surprise and looking with slight disbelief at him. Armin had such a determined look on his face, but it was somehow unsettling.

"You'll just be cold then." Eren stated.

"No I won't. I told you that you' keep me warm. You always have before." Armin pressed on.

Was Eren too distracted to get what he was saying? Did he not hear him?

"Maybe when we were younger, Armin, but things are different now." Eren looked back to the water still shining in the moonlight, wanting to look at anyone but his friend.

Eren didn't even seem to notice what it was he was saying.

"How is it different? Nothing's changed, Eren." Armin felt his tone rise a little. Why was Eren saying things like this? It didn't make sense. Something else had to be on his mind, something more important than what was happening now.

"You wouldn't understand, Armin…" Eren abruptly stood up from under Armin, his arms leaving him and letting the cold sink back into his bones. Armin stood up to, hoping he could be near Eren again, but the boy didn't seem right anymore. Eren was more fidgety standing up than he was sitting down.

"Then explain it to me." Armin reached for Eren's hand, but just as his fingertips brushed against his skin, Eren pulled his hand away. Armin gave him a wounded expression, feeling his heart ache and clench in pain. Why was Eren suddenly acting like this?

"Hey, Armin… You realize that tomorrow is our last day together, right?" Eren looked away and asked. Armin shot him a confused glance, wondering what Eren was going on about, but then he remembered that tomorrow was the final day of his week. If all had gone wrong then he would have been shipped away from training, to never again see his friends.

"Is that what this is about?" Armin asked. "Eren, that's not going to happen-"

"How do you know?" Eren looked back at him and Armin could see the tears sitting at the edges of Eren's big, green eyes. They were already red, waiting for him to cry, but Eren was trying hard not to. Armin swallowed down in guilt.

He was right before; Eren was still upset, but of course he was. No one had told him anything yet. He was out in the dark, blind to what was going on around him.

"Well…?" Eren pried. "Did you get all of your memories back; enough of them to stay here?" He asked. Armin's biggest mistake was that he didn't answer him. He was so shocked and surprised by Eren's erratic behavior that he felt paralyzed, like he couldn't answer. He wanted to, but he just couldn't.

Noticing the silence, Eren huffed and turned around so his back was facing Armin. He crossed his arms over his chest and clenched his teeth together, trying hard to keep the tears from spilling over his closed eyes. He cursed at himself for feeling so weak, especially after telling himself he wouldn't break again. Yet here he was, crying in front of his friend like a child.

"Eren…" Armin murmured. Eren rubbed his eyes and looked at Armin over his shoulder. "You're such an idiot, Eren." Armin said.

"What…?" Eren couldn't help but feel offended. "How am I an idiot?"

"If you had been paying any attention at all then you would have figured it out by now!" Armin explained, his voice rising above a dull roar.

"_Paying attention?_ I've been paying attention just fine!" Eren yelled back, just as angry as Armin was.

"No you haven't! If you had been listening to what I had said then-"

"Then what? I already heard you call me an idiot!" Armin hissed through his teeth and pushed at Eren's shoulder's.

"Don't do that!" He barked while pushing Eren back. Now he didn't care if he woke up the whole Training Corps; he just wanted to yell. How could Eren think such things? "You aren't listening at all!"

"I am, maybe you just aren't saying anything worth listening to!" Eren pushed Armin as well, surprising the boy, but Armin was more prepared and didn't stagger as much.

"I have plenty to say!" He yelled.

"Like what? _"I remember everybody but you! I remember people like Daz or even that little kid who walked past me when I was five!" _Is that what you want to say?" Eren accused. Armin felt another tug on his heart.

"Damn it, Eren! That's not it!" He bawled his hands into fists, his nails painfully cutting into the skin of his hands. He felt like he could honestly punch Eren for the things he was saying, but he was doing his best to hold back.

"Then what is it about, Armin? Are you going to tell me that suddenly you remember everything, including me?" Eren asked.

"I do!" Armin exclaimed and his voice cracked with the added pressure. He hadn't yelled like that in a long time.

Now it was quiet. The two were panting from yelling at their loudest so much, but the air had finally settled around them. Eren wasn't sure if he heard Armin right or not. They had been yelling so much that he wasn't sure if what Armin said was true or a spur of the moment argument.

"… Y-You do what?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"I remember you…" Armin let his voice drop, not having the energy anymore to let it carry. His hands finally unclenched themselves, letting a small drip of blood seep through on of the nail wounds in his palm. "That's what I came here for, to tell you that I remember you…" Armin paused a moment from his talking to shove a dumbfounded Eren back by the shoulder's again, but his hands lingered against them. "But you wouldn't listen to me!" He hissed.

Without wasting another second, Eren grabbed Armin's hands and pulled, bringing the smaller boy against his body and into a warm embrace. He wrapped his arms around Armin's body, a hand on the small of his back and a hand tangling in his hair. Armin grunted when the air was knocked out of him, but none the less he returned the embrace. Eren's hold on him was firm and slightly crushing, but he didn't care.

He was getting cold anyway.

He could feel the tears slip down Eren's cheeks and land on his pale neck, but he didn't care for that either. He ran his fingers through Eren's dark, brown hair and mumbled soft sayings into Eren's ear, doing his best to make Eren relax in whatever way he could. All the previous anger and irritation was gone. Now it was just an utter relief and adamant happiness.

"A-Armin…" Eren whimpered into Armin's ear. Armin kissed Eren's cheek and spoke softly to him.

"It's okay, Eren." He murmured. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," Eren's grip tightened around Armin's body.

"Armin…" He whimpered again. He couldn't stop saying his friend's name. Armin closed his eyes as he listened to his friend say his name in such a pitiful manner. He could feel the pressure in his chest releasing and with it he could feel Eren's heart beating within his own chest. "I-I really am an idiot." He felt a little chuckle slip through as he spoke. Armin giggled in response and pulled back so he could see his friend's face.

"Yeah you are." Eren pressed their forehead together, the tears still prominent and visible while he took shallow breaths. "Eren, it's going to be okay. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." Armin assured. That only made the tears fall faster from Eren's watery eyes.

"I-I kept thinking that maybe you wouldn't remember everything in time and then Shadis would separate us, or maybe you remembered your training but h-he still didn't listen-" Armin cut him off by pressing a fingers to Eren's lips.

"No more "what ifs" Eren. I remember so that's the end of it. I promise you that I'm not going anywhere." Armin promised. Eren felt the tears start to burn his eyes, tears which Armin wiped away with his thumbs. "Please stop crying, Eren." He begged.

"I-I'm just happy." Eren rubbed his eyes with his jacket sleeve as he laughed. It felt so absurd to cry when he was unbelievably happy, but he was still doing it.

"So am I, Eren. So am I." Armin's hands rounded around his body until he found Eren's and held them. He brought them up between the two as held Eren's hands within his own, rubbing them to warm the cold fingers tangled in his. "Let's go back to bed." Armin said quietly. Eren smiled and agreed.

They held each other's hands as they walked along the path back to the barracks. It was quiet between them, but nothing else needed to be said between them. Enough had been said and nothing else was needed.

The two snuck away into the warm room with their beds. Armin sat down on his bed and watched as the taller shed his uniform. It had been an argument that he didn't need to change because it would be only a few hours later before they were training again, but Armin told him to do it anyway. The smaller boy watched each article disappear and be neatly folded to be put into a pile by his bed. Eren then placed his slightly chilled pajamas on and sat on his own bed mere inches from Armin's.

"Eren…" Armin whispered. Eren looked up to him in the dark room and watched as Armin patted on the spot next to him on his bed. He thanked the dark, because it did well to cover his blushing cheeks, but he did as instructed and laid down by his childhood friend.

The two cuddled together under the thin blanket together, their body heat being the only thing they truly needed. Eren pulled Armin into a strong and tender embrace and kept Armin close, letting Armin share his body heat with him. Armin pulled his hands up to his chest and curled his fingers by his lips. Breath slipped between his parted lips as he closed his blue eyes and felt sleep start to take him away.

The last thing he felt before falling asleep was a set of lips on his forehead.

* * *

**A/N: Yay~ Remember, one more chapter after this. NOW REVIEW! ... Or give me more cookies... Preferably chocolate chip... Oh yeah, and by the way people... Why didn't anyone tell me I was spelling Jaeger and Ackerman wrong?! You are some meaaannn teasing people you arreee~ XD**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: *Staring at mountain of cookies* ... Oh my god. O-O**

**YESH! THE FINAL CHAPTER! It's been a long week. Y_Y *sobs in corner* DID YOU KNOW THAT EPISODE 25 OF SNK IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE LAST?! Do you know what this means...? ****... More than likely they're making a different ending. I don't want that. They can't ruin this for me! THEY CAN'T! THEY BETTER HAVE A SEASON TWO IN MOTION RIGHT FUCKING NOW! But on the other hand, hey, final chapter! Make way for fluff and lovales~~~ XD**

**Alright, now I shall REALLY begin with saying thank you so much for all the of the reviews. Honestly, all of you who reviewed my story make me feel like it's definitely worth all the hard work and I put into them. You're all kind to me and I feel like you ish all meh friends. *chibi sobs* I love you all. T-T I really feel like every time I finish a fanfiction I have grown in some way, whether it's my writing or the inspiration that comes to mind. I'm glad that people give me the criticism I need to improve. Thank you all very much. :3**

**Now... *looks at mountain of cookies* Let's begin...**

* * *

**While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.**

* * *

**Rated: T****  
****Couple: Eren and Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 12 (Final): Play the Day Away**

* * *

The knocks on the door were a dilatory distraction. Whoever it was could wait, because they were so deep in a heavy sleep that they didn't plan on waking up any time soon.

"Armin...?" A heavenly voice called. It was his mother knocking on the door. Another set of knocks were heard, then another voice.

"Armin, please open the door." It was his father. The two waited patiently outside his door, but the young boy never came to let them in.

"You don't have to wake him up; we just need to know where Eren is." Grisha said to the two parents.

"No, Eren's here." Armin's grandfather said.

"How do you know?" Karla asked the senior. The old man came up from behind the two parents and held out a small key in his hand, the key to Armin's room.

"Armin only locks his door when Eren is here." The man said. He looked over to Mikasa who was hanging onto the end of Karla's skirt, rubbing her eyes in a tired manner and yawning. "Isn't that right, young lady?" He asked her. Mikasa nodded her head after she finished yawning.

Armin's mother took the key from her father and pushed it into the doorknob. It clicked upon turning and the door was unlocked. The group of elders and Mikasa entered the boy's room to find the two eight year olds sleeping together in Armin's bed. Eren had taken to falling asleep on top of the boy, his hands tangled in Armin's shirt and hair. His head was resting on Armin's shoulder, his face in the crook of the smaller one's neck and letting breath fan across his baby soft skin. Armin was resting comfortable under him, despite the weight on his chest. His head was turned to the side, his fingers on one hand curled up by his lips while the other hand was resting comfortably on Eren's back under his cotton over-shirt. The two were cuddled together; sleeping under Armin's heavy, light-blue blanket and at the edge of his bed was his grandfather's book.

Armin's mother bent down and picked the illegal object up to hand it to her father. She clicked her tongue, giving her father a stern look.

"I thought I told you to hide this." She said in a quiet tone so she didn't wake the two sleeping children.

"I did, but the boy keeps finding it." The older man shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. His daughter sighed as she looked over to the two sleeping children. She could hear the audible sighs from Karla and Grisha and looked over at them.

"What are we going to do, Karla?" Grisha asked while shaking his head.

"I don't know... He's not going to listen to us, even if we do separate them." Karla explained.

"You want to separate them?" Armin's father asked.

"Eren's been falling behind in his school work as chores lately. His reasons for it always have to do with Armin." Karla said.

"It's not that your son is doing anything wrong, in fact he's rather good for Eren, but we need Eren to start working harder." Grisha had seen the small look of pain go across the parents faces, like they had been insulted by Karla words, so he quickly threw that in to make sure there was an understanding.

"Oh, I see..." Armin's father mumbled.

"We don't want to take their best friend away, but we don't know what else to do." Karla said.

"I understand. We are a little worried for Armin too. He's been staying out later and later every night, like last night for example." Armin's mother said.

"They fell asleep in a barn…" Mikasa mumbled.

"Is that where they have been going?" Karla asked. Mikasa nodded her head. She was so tired that she didn't realize that she just tattled on her brother and friend, but once realizing it she knew it was too late.

"Oh lord…" Armin's mother brushed her blond hair out of her face as she muttered to herself. Thinking that her son had been in a barn half of the night disgusted her; who know what kind of things he had gotten into?

"Let's get Eren back home." Grisha suggested. "We're sorry for waking you up so early in the morning." He apologized to Armin's parents.

"It's alright. I'm glad that Eren is okay." Armin's father said. Karla leaned over the side of the bed and tugged the blanket down the boy's bodies. Their legs also had been tangled together at some point in their sleep, another thing she had to untangle. She untangled Eren's hands from Armin's shirt and then carefully slipped Eren's arm from Armin's head.

Karla lifted Eren's arms over her shoulders, being careful not to wake her sleeping son. She carefully lifted him up and off of the bed, grunting when his weight plus the position she was in nearly made her fall on Armin. The sudden weight being lifted off of his chest did the job though, getting Armin to open his eyes to the dazed world around him. He felt cold all of a sudden, and the pressure against his chest was gone, along with the comfort. Where had his friend suddenly gone?

"Dear god he's getting heavy." She whispered and another grunt left her. Eren stirred around in her arms, green eyes opening to see the ground beneath him, Mikasa staring up at him and his mother's back and skirt. It took a couple of seconds to understand why it was that this was the sight he woke up to instead of his sleeping friend, but then when he remembered Armin, everything flooded his mind from yesterday, especially his parents words. He shifted in her arms again to look for Armin, seeing the boy laying in his bed and starting to shiver. He was cuddling against nothing, his arms wrapping around his body to search for warmth, warmth that only Eren could provide. Eren could scarcely see the tears dripping at the sides of his eyes and his heart broke.

"Armin…!" He cried and pried himself out of Karla's arms. After hearing his name, Armin woke up fully. He realized why it was that he was so cold; Eren's parents were taking him away. He wasn't ready for that. He hadn't said goodbye to his friend yet and he wasn't ready to say it.

"Eren!" He reached his arms out as Eren dropped from Karla's arms and came back to the bed. Eren pulled him into a heavy embrace, his arms wrapping around Armin to keep him warm and comfort him as his friend began to cry. Eren wasn't ready either, not now and probably not ever. He didn't want to say goodbye. If they had to do this, he should be given the luxury or being awake to say it to his friend. That was the least his parents could do for him.

Meanwhile, the four parents and Mikasa stood by the bed with surprise. None of them had expected them to act so… _"Violently"_ towards the situation, especially Eren. He was a heavy sleeper, so neither Grisha nor Karla would think he would wake up at all much less than react the way he did so vibrantly. It was obvious though that he had been really affected by what they had said the night before, enough to sneak out of see Armin and try to hide.

"Eren, it's okay." Armin's mother spoke up. Eren wasn't listening to any of them. All he wanted to do was sit there and comfort his friend. Was that too much to ask for? "Eren, all your parents were doing was taking you home." She added.

"No…!" Eren whimpered into Armin's hair with a shaky voice. Armin's hands clung to Eren's shoulders as he cried, his body shaking even though Eren was there to keep him warm. Eren pulled his friend closer, Armin nearly in his lap as Eren did his best to comfort him. "P-Please don't take Armin away from me." Eren begged.

The two parents stared at the son in guilt and grief. What were they supposed to do in a situation like this? How could they pull apart two best friends, especially when they were begging for that not to happen.

"Please, mom, please. I'll be good, I promise." Eren stared up at her with his glassy green eyes that were dampened by tears as he spoke. "I'll do better in school and I'll do my chores, but please don't separate us." He pleaded. Armin's crying brought him back to looking down at his friend and trying to comfort him. He rubbed his back, patted his head and mumbled soft sayings into his ear, but the poor boy kept crying.

Karla sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She looked over to her husband who was doing the same thing, but he looked a little more stricken with guilt than she did. He was a true sucker for kids, that was for sure, and seeing both his son and his son's childhood friend crying and begging them not to separate them had him in near tears. Karla groaned and elbowed his side, reminding him to keep it together. He was supposed to be the adult, to be the better influence, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it.

"Alright, listen to me boys." Karla spoke up. The two weeping boys looked up from each other and to Karla. They could both feeling their stomachs turning and clenching, fear spreading through them for what she had to say. "I don't want to separate you two, but you are making it difficult for me and if I have to I will. I don't want to, but I will if you make it harder on everyone." She placed her hands on her hips as she spoke.

"However, Eren, if you start doing better in school and listen to me when I tell you to do your chores, then I won't separate you and Armin." She said. It took a minute for the words to settle in their heads, but once it did the boy's began to smile, first at her and then each other.

"Really?" Eren asked, completely elated.

"Only if you behave yourself, Eren Jaeger." Karla wagged her finger at Eren and said.

"I will! I promise I will!" He cheered. Finally Armin had stopped crying, happy to hear the news as Eren jumped on him and knocked him down to the bed. The boy's laughed hard together, but Armin's mother spoke up.

"Armin, this falls on you too, young man." She said, her mother mode engaged. "I don't want you staying out so late like you did last night. You had your father and I worried sick." She said.

"I'm sorry, momma." Armin said, his mouth and voice muffled by Eren's chest.

"When we give you two a time to be home, that means you come home at that time. No later." Armin's father said, trying to be stern but falling to the same effect as Grisha.

"What about earlier?" Eren asked in a sarcastic tone. Armin giggled in response, trying to shush him so no one heard the mocking question and would ultimately get them into more trouble. The only one who heard it was Mikasa, but she was too tired to care (not like she cared in the first place).

"Would you like to stay over for breakfast?" Armin's mother asked Karla and Grisha. The two boys perked up to the sound of breakfast.

"Oh we can't. I was already making breakfast when Mikasa had told me that Eren was gone. It's still at home waiting." Karla said. Eren looked over at Mikasa who hadn't been paying too much attention to hear him call her a traitor, but he didn't care. He knew it wasn't really her intention, just her concern.

Eren and Armin finally got off of the bed to stretch. Grisha said that he wanted Eren to come over and eat breakfast, and knowing that this was part of his deal with his mother, he agreed, but only if he could come back to see Armin afterword's, which was agreed to. However, Armin's parents were adamant and it wasn't like they could simply put down such a nice offer. After some coaxing from his parents, Grisha and Karla agreed. The two boys couldn't have been anymore happy at that moment, but then they heard when Eren had to leave and their hearts dropped. It was another part of the deal though and they knew that, but that didn't mean that they were or had to be happy about it.

Armin shivered some more, noticing how cold it was, even when he was so close to Eren. He left his side for a moment to go to the window, wondering if he had left it cracked open.

"Mikasa, would you like stay for breakfast?" Karla looked down to the girl hanging off of her skirt as she asked. Mikasa shook her head and yawned another small yawn, her hand covering her mouth to be polite.

"No, I'm tired." She mumbled.

"Eren, look!" Armin cheered. Eren left the bedside to go to Armin by the window. Armin was frantically pointing outside the window, his mouth wide and open in a smile he could not control.

"What is it?" Eren asked as he looked past the curtain and outside the window.

"It snowed!" Armin cheered. True to his word, it had indeed snowed. The ends of his window had cracked and chipped at the edges from the dense cold, the whole ground outside was covered in at least a foot of white, untouched snow and the trees were weighed down by the heavy snow, the branches not giving but sagging.

Eren stared just as wide eyed at the sight outside the window. It had been late when he had gotten home and even later when he left. It must have snowed when he left and snowed rather hard, because this much snow in such a little amount of time was surprising.

"It must have snowed some time after Eren snuck out…" Eren could hear Karla whisper to the three other parents.

"Or during…" Armin's father mumbled.

"Can we go out to play?" Armin asked with wide and hopeful eyes.

"Yeah, can we?" Eren joined in.

"After breakfast." Armin's father said. The two both whined, but when both Eren and Armin's mothers gave them stern and frightening looks, they quickly stopped.

"Listen to your father, Armin. After breakfast." Armin's mother enforced. The boys sulked, but agreed.

"Well now that we know Eren is safe I guess it's time for us to go on home." Grisha said.

"Are you going to be okay walking in the snow?" Armin's mother asked.

"We'll be just fine," Karla assured. While the parents talked and Mikasa stood idly by Karla's side, the two boys had made their way down to the kitchen for breakfast. As eager as they could be, they were also eight; they didn't know how to cook, so all they could do was wait as patiently as an eight year old could while Armin's mother took her time with Eren's parents. They made small chitchat, Armin's father threw around some terrible jokes that none of the kids understood and the rest laughed at them. Armin's mother made sure that Eren's parents didn't want to stay for breakfast, but Karla assured them that they already had some waiting at home. Mikasa left Karla's side long enough to talk to Eren for a few minutes while the parents talked. She didn't say much, she only checked to make sure he was okay and that he wasn't hurt anywhere, which he wasn't.

"Come on, Mikasa. Let's go home and have breakfast." After ten minutes of talking Eren's parents were finally ready to go. Mikasa went back to Karla's side and the two were at the door with Grisha. Eren and Armin looked out of the door as it opened, getting a gust of wind hitting their faces as they faced the bitter and cold wonderland waiting for them. Eren laughed when seeing Armin's blue and already wide eyes get wider, his nose turning pink from the cold and his cheeks blushing with joy.

How cute of a sight it was.

Mikasa, Karla and Grisha finally left. The two boys couldn't have been happier, but it was only because they wanted to go outside more than anything. They wanted to get breakfast down into their stomachs so they could go outside and play in the winter wonderland waiting feet from them.

"Alright boys, what would you like to have for breakfast?" Armin's mother asked. They could have cared less for what they wanted; they just wanted anything small to eat. The smaller it was the quicker they'd get to go outside. When the two didn't answer, Armin's mother put her hands on her sides with a small smile and a hint of a laugh. "Alright, I guess I'll make you some porridge then." She said.

The two boys looked at each other and Armin rolled his eyes. Eren had to hold back a snicker, but Armin's mother still heard it and chose to ignore it. She donned and apron and began her cooking.

"Armin, I forgot to mention something." Armin's mother said.

"Yes momma?" Armin looked at her as innocently as possible, as if he and Eren weren't making faces behind her back.

"I told you not to mess around with your grandfather's book. What were you doing with it last night?" His mother asked. Armin quickly went pale in the face and looked back to Eren, as if he had an answer.

"Oh, well um… I-I was just…" He looked down into his lap where his hands were tightly wound together.

"Armin, that book is forbidden. I don't need to tell you twice." Armin's mother said as she began to cook.

"I-I'm sorry, I just-"

"Let the boy read it, it's not like he's going to get an imagination from anything else around here." Armin's grandfather walked into the room with the book still tucked away under his arm. "Imagination is good; it makes the mind blossom and grow. Let the poor kids grow up with something to look forward to." He said as he sat at the table.

"Oh lord…" Armin's mother said. "Father, it's bad enough that you have that book to begin with." She continued. The two boys watched as she stirred the pot over the small flames, but then put their attention back to Armin's grandfather, who sat down at the table with a small grunt and his joints popping.

"Don't tell me what's right or wrong, young lady. I've been around for ages. I'm so old that even if they arrested me I'd be dead before the paperwork is done." Her father looked at the boys and rolled his finger around by his head. "Or I'm so crazy that I'd talk them all to death." He whispered. Armin and Eren glanced at each and giggled at Armin's crazy grandfather.

"I wouldn't doubt that…" Armin's father sat down at the table as he mumbled.

"What was that?" His grandfather asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Armin's father raised his hands up in the air, as if in defense.

"You better speak up sunny, I can't hear as well as I used to." His grandfather raised his voice, pretending that he couldn't hear the man. This brought more fits and giggles from Eren and Armin.

"Alright boys, that's enough of that." Armin's mother stepped away from the open flames to grab a few bowls. She placed them on the table in front of her family and Eren and went back to her cooking to get the food. She pulled the pot of porridge out of the open flame and let it sit so it could cool. A few minutes later it was served to her hungry family and friends.

The whole group sat at the table, filling their hungry bellies with the food Armin's mother had prepared. Armin stuffed his mouth as much as he could; it was all he could do to stop himself from asking his father and parents questions about the world beyond the walls. Eren was stuffing his face as well, but his reasons were to keep up with Armin who would surely be outside long before he was at this point.

"Armin, slow down. This isn't a race." Armin's mother reprimanded and smacked the back of Armin's hand with her spoon. Armin yipped with his mouth full and dropped his own spoon in his bowl in favor of rubbing the back of his hand. He quickly swallowed the food in his mouth and whined, the back of his hand turning red from the impact. Eren quickly stopped too, fearing the same result to his own hand if he didn't.

Armin's mother sighed as she pushed her blond hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She looked over to her husband to see that he had secretly started his own race with the two boys. Neither of them was aware that he had joined in, but one small click of the tongue and he stopped, looking up at her with his cheeks puffed out.

"Oh lord…" She mumbled and shook her head. "I need a daughter in this house…" That comment got her husband to choke on his food while trying to swallow it. She inwardly smirked.

"Momma, can we go outside now?" Armin asked. His mother looked at both of the boys to see that their bowls were practically clean. The only food left anywhere was on the edge of Eren's lips.

"Yes, go on ahead." She looked away with a sour face, waved her hand loosely and told the boys to go. The two boys were instantly elated from the news. They shot up from their chairs like they were using 3D Maneuver Gear and bolted past the family to the door. "Make sure you're both wearing jackets!" She said to them.

Armin took care of Eren first by giving him a heavy jacket and a hat. He put his own jacket on and then slipped a pair of knitted gloves from his mother onto his hands. Armin then slipped on his shoes (Eren hadn't taken his off since last night).

"I want you both in, in an hour." Armin's father called as the two pulled the door open. They heard him, but they didn't seem to care much. The two eight year olds jumped out of the door and into the first clumps of snow they saw.

With screams of joy they practically sunk into the snow as they landed in it. They trudged through it to find each other, and once back together they ran out into the backyard to play in the untouched portion of it.

"Come on, Eren!" Armin grabbed Eren's hand and pulled him along into the snow. The snow nipped at their legs where their pants or shoes didn't cover and soaked into the fabric of their pants. It turned the tips of Eren's fingers pink and for Armin's ears to turn pink as well. Upon tripping over his own two feet, Eren fell face first into the snow, his face being buried in the cold ice.

"Cold!" He shot up from the snow and cried. Armin fell back into the snow, clutching his full stomach as he laughed at the sight. "I-It's not funny, Armin!" Eren shivered and his voice wavered as his teeth chattered.

"S-Sorry, Eren," Armin crawled over to his friend and pulled Eren to sit on his butt with his feet in the snow. Eren shook his head, the snow that had clumped into the ends of his hair flying off in all directions. His whole face was now red with the bitter cold, his body shivering.

"Snow is cold," Eren grumbled. Armin giggled and pulled off his gloves.

"Here, put these on." Armin said.

"No. You'll be cold." Eren pushed Armin's hands away.

"I'll be alright." Armin assured and pushed the gloves back to him.

"I said _no_," Eren pushed back once more. Armin huffed, his cheeks puffing out slightly with irritation. If Eren wasn't going to wear the gloves then he wasn't either. He tossed them to the side, away from both of them. "What are you doing?" Eren asked.

"If you won't wear them then I won't either." Armin said stubbornly. Eren blinked a few times, trying to process what it was that Armin had just said. The simple pause was enough for cold to seep its way into Armin's bones. He scooted closer to Eren and placed his head down on his shoulder while his hands found Eren's hands. Eren's warmth crept to his skin and helped a lot, but he could still feel the cold migrate through his skin around his legs and back. Eventually Eren got the point in his head and wrapped his arms around his back.

Armin hummed in content, the warmth coming from Eren enough to put him to sleep. He rubbed his head against the exposed part of Eren's neck and sighed.

"Are you cold?" Eren asked quietly.

"No…" Armin mumbled. Eren let his chin rest down on Armin's head, his blond hair tickling his nose. Eren smiled at the sensation and pulled Armin closer. Just as he did, the sensation of cold went down his back. Armin had dropped a snowball of snow down his shirt and jacket and Eren screeched at the sudden cold sensation.

"W-Why'd you do that?" Eren jumped out of the tender embrace they had been sharing and jumped up and down while pulling his shirt out from under the rim of his pants. "Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold!" He kept repeating it as he jumped.

By this point, Armin had fallen over on the ground and was laughing, his cheeks hurting from smiling so much. Eren looked so ridiculous jumping around like that and him screaming because of the cold snow going down his back that he just couldn't resist it.

"That wasn't funny!" Eren whined. Armin tried to tell him it was and he also tried to tell him that he was sorry, but he couldn't. He was laughing so hard that he couldn't breathe. As pay back, once the snow had been cleared from Eren's now cold and wet back, he jumped onto Armin, knocking him down and pushing him into the snow. Armin was still laughing that he could barely react; all he could do was push on Eren's shoulders and hope the boy wouldn't do to him what he did to him.

This wasn't Eren's plan. Eren's hands, which he had gotten snow on, went right for Armin's neck, effectively getting snow on them and tickling the already laughing boy. Armin wasn't sure he could laugh anymore; he was torn between screaming and begging for the boy to stop because he was tickling him or screaming and begging because Eren had snow against his neck. He was already squealing like an infant, wasn't that enough? Apparently not, because by now the poor boy felt like he was about ready to wet himself.

"S-Sorry, I'm sorry!" He cried. Eren finally let up on Armin, moving his hands to rest by his head in the snow while he panted. Armin was panting as well, the physical struggle exerting all of their energy in that one moment. Their breath came out in short, shallow breaths, the heat mixing with the cold air and creating small puffs of smoke from their mouths. Eren stared down at his friend, a big grin on his face while Armin regained his composure. Armin looked so tired now and even cuter than before.

"Now are you cold?" He asked, a small puff of fog coming from his mouth. Armin blinked a few times in a daze, his head nodding slowly. Eren laughed a little flopped down into the snow by Armin. He pulled the smaller boy into his arms and Armin instantly cuddled closer into Eren's chest.

"You won't put snow down my shirt, will you?" Armin asked, his voice muffled by Eren's chest.

"No, no. I won't do that. I'm too tired." Eren said and rubbed Armin's back. Armin sighed. "You won't do it to me again, right?" Eren asked.

"No… Too tired…" Armin mumbled. His hands held onto the ends of Eren's borrowed jacket as he breathed deeply, the cold air filling his lungs.

"That's good…" Eren mumbled. Armin sighed again as he looked up at Eren, his blue eyes staring for a moment at Eren's closed green ones. When Eren opened his eyes he saw the concentrated gaze from Armin. "What are you staring at?" He asked.

"… Thank you for keeping your promise, Eren." Armin mumbled. Eren tilted his head to the side a little.

"Which one?" Eren asked.

"You said you'd be there when I woke up and you were." Armin's voice dropped to a whisper, like he was telling a secret to his friend.

"Yeah, but had I not woken up I wouldn't have been." Eren scoffed a little as he spoke.

"But the point is that you were here, so thank you." Armin said. Eren smiled and strained his neck a little so he could press his forehead against Armin's.

"You don't need to thank me." Eren assured.

"I don't care… I _want_ to say it." Armin explained. "And I'll keep saying it." He said this as he stared directly into Eren's eyes. Eren chuckled at his obvious and predictable response.

"You'll silly…" Eren mumbled as he closed his eyes.

"Hey Eren…" Armin breathed.

"Yeah…?"

"You remember… A few days ago… Do you remember what we did?" He asked hesitantly. Eren waited a moment to think about what they did. Besides playing and getting themselves into trouble, they didn't do much, except…

"Oh… Y-You mean the uh…" Eren trailed off.

"The kiss." Armin stated bluntly.

"Yeah that… Is that what you're talking about?" Eren asked while blushing, but the cold was good for covering it up.

"Yeah," Armin said.

"What about it?" Eren asked, hesitant even more.

"… I've been thinking about it, and um…" Armin's blush was more prominent and obvious that it was embarrassment causing it. "Could we uh… Could we do it again?" Armin asked.

"Again…? But why?" Eren blushed more and it was becoming even more obvious what his blush was for. Armin shifted a little in his spot, his hands tightening their grip on his jacket.

"I-I don't know really… J-Just because…" Armin trailed off. His breath got hotter, creating more of a fog that came out of his lips with the small pants he gave.

Eren swallowed down what seemed to be a dry lump in his throat. After the two boys had given their first kisses to each other, Eren made a mental promise not to go any farther than that ever again, especially with Armin. He didn't want to do anything that would put strain on their relationship, but now Armin was asking for it. Little did he know that their relationship had changed the moment they decided to go through with the kiss.

"I um…" Eren looked away for a moment before looking at his friend. He swallowed again so he could speak up. "I guess it w-wouldn't be so bad." He mumbled. Armin's eyes seemed to glow brighter from the response.

"Really..?" He asked. "Are you sure?"

'_Not really…'_

"I think so…" Eren answered. He felt Armin shift around in his arms again and his leg unintentionally brushed against the inside of Eren's thigh. Eren's blush darkened to the point he didn't think he could blush anymore, but he was.

"So then…" He peaked through his half-lidded eyes to see Armin blushing just as much.

Before he even realized what it was he was doing Eren was leaning forward, pressing his lips to Armin's before either of them could breathe. Their noses were scrunched together; neither knowing that simply tilting ones head to the side would relieve that annoying issue. Eren had his eyes closed, so he couldn't possibly gauge Armin's reaction, but from the startled and muffled gasp Armin let out he was surprised. After a few moments of uncertainty they finally pulled apart. Their hearts were thumping hard within their chests and Armin could feel Eren's under his jacket. Their breath, which was small, measly pants, was fogging over their faces, but they didn't care.

The two children simply sat, struck with embarrassment and a new fondness all at the same time. They were looking at everything else but each other, afraid to see what the other was doing or thinking. What were they thinking? Were they disgusted or grossed out? Were they scared or uncomfortable? They knew the only way to find out was to look.

Eventually, it was Armin who broke the awkward silence by looking at his friend. He was like a magnet and at the same time Eren looked his way. Their eyes met and for a moment it was quiet, but within a spilt second, smiles broke onto their faces. They both started to laugh, at what they weren't sure, but they were laughing. Something was funny, but they honestly didn't know what.

Eren pulled Armin up to his chest as his friend laughed, his voice muffled by Eren's neck. Armin wrapped his arms around Eren's body, just enjoying the warmth while they laughed. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Eren's, his laughter being contagious and Eren laugh harder. The two sat in the snow, enjoying their laughter and presence more than the life rushing around them.

What a life it was. It was nice to have a memory of that in his head.

It was nice to have the memory at all.

Armin opened his eyes to the darkness around him. There was barely any light and it was only coming in through the faded curtains on the windows. It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to see the outline of his childhood friend hovering over him. One of Eren's hands were resting right by his head, the other was propping him up against his pillow. His green eyes seem to be glowing in the dim lighting, but Armin couldn't tell if that was the light hitting them a certain way or if his eyes were really glowing.

"Armin," He whispered with a questioning tone. Armin looked at Eren, feeling his lungs clenching and his breathing frantic. He had been so enthralled by his dream that it seemed so real. While he was grateful for it, he wasn't sure it was something he should be experiencing when he had just gotten his memories back. It was too much for his fragile mind to handle at the moment. "Why are you crying?" Eren asked.

Armin reached his hand up to touch his face. His cheeks were damp with tears that were still fresh and falling and his nose was red and hard to breathe through. His eyes widened as realization dawned on him, but he never broke his gaze from Eren's, which he now noticed was worried and frightened.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Eren asked in another whisper. Armin shook his head, a small smile slowly taking its place over the frown on his lips.

"I had a dream…" He whispered. "Not just a dream, but a memory…" Armin's voice was shaking so badly that Eren wasn't sure if Armin had a nightmare or not, but then he continued. "It was of us…" He added.

Eren finally let his worried gaze fall and be replaced with a small, content smile. He reached a hesitant hand out and touched Armin's cheek and when seeing no movements to stop him, his thumb grazed his pale skin, wiping away at the fresh and falling tears.

"You shouldn't cry over something like that." Eren mumbled.

"I can't help it." Armin held Eren's hand within his own as he began to rub his eyes. "I-I'm just happy…"

Eren pulled Armin to sit up within the bed. The blanket covering the two of them slid down Eren's back as he pulled Armin into a tender embrace, holding him steady to comfort him. Armin covered his face within Eren's chest so he wouldn't wake up the other cadets in the barrack with them. Eren's soothing touches were comforting, but it somehow brought on an on slaughter of tears. He couldn't stop crying, whether he rubbed his back or ran his fingers through his blond hair.

"Come on, stop crying." Eren murmured gently to him. Armin nodded his head, but that was easier said than done. He rubbed his eyes against Eren's shirt, trying to stop like he said. After minutes and minutes of his happy tears, he had finally cried all that he had to cry. The tears stopped, only leaving him to whimper and gasp for the breath missing from his body.

He was exhausted, mentally and physically. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but it obviously wasn't long enough. He felt he could go right back to sleep now if it weren't for Eren suddenly shifting around him.

"Are you okay now?" Eren asked. Armin looked up to him with his puffy and red eyes and nodded his head.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay now…" He huffed a little, his breath hitting Eren's face, but his friend didn't seem to mind. Armin looked around the room, watching the others around them sleep peacefully, none disturbed by his crying. He looked over to the closest window to look outside. It was still early, the sun barely peaking over the mountains or trees to create any relative shadows. "What time is it?" He asked quietly.

"It's still early." Eren mumbled. Armin looked up to Eren for a moment, his eyes slowly blinking the tears away.

"How long were we asleep?" He asked quietly.

"Not for long. You were out for a few hours." Eren pressed a warm palm against Armin's cheek.

"What about you?" He asked in a quieter tone than before.

"I didn't fall asleep." Eren whispered. A cadet in the bed near them shifter and the two stiffened and went silent, fearing they woke someone up, but the man simply rolled onto his side and continued sleeping.

"Why didn't you fall asleep?" Armin leaned closer to Eren's ear so he could drop his voice. The shuffling of someone in their sleep was louder than their voices.

"I was thinking too much." Eren whispered. Armin leaned his head against Eren's shoulder.

"You should try to sleep." He suggested.

"No, I'm okay. I don't feel very tired honestly." He said. "Besides, Commander Shadis will be coming in here soon." Eren muttered. The blond felt Eren's grip tighten on his back, but he chose to ignore it. He knew what was on Eren's mind and he wouldn't lie and say that he wasn't a bit nervous too, because he was.

What if Shadis really did decide for Armin to leave, even if he had his memories? Was that something he would do? Armin hadn't heard much of what Shadis had said, he had only gotten outside in time to stop Eren from punching Shadis's lights out, but that was it. He hadn't heard much of their conversation (which consisted of yelling).

"Hey, I have an idea." Eren whispered. Armin looked back to Eren and tilted his head.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Let's get dressed and go to the dining hall early; that way we can get first dibs in line and we won't have to listen to Shadis yelling at everyone." Eren suggested. Armin smiled at his idea.

"Okay," He agreed. Eren left his side to grab at some clothes that weren't his sleeping attire. Eren had to slip over to his own bed to get to his clothes. His bed was cold and unforgiving, the warmth from last night only residing with Armin and imprinted into his own bed. He was quick to put his clothes on so he didn't have to feel the bitter cold hit his body, but it did against his will.

He tossed on a pair of soft, cotton pants and his usual green, laced shirt. He tucked his key firmly away under the color of his shirt and looked over to Armin to see him still dressing. It was still dark, but not so much that he couldn't see the contours of his body or the muscles that moved under his skin as he put on his new clothes. Armin was aware that Eren was staring and though it had him blushing, it was another thing he let slide. He simply went about putting on his clothes, adding a sweater to keep himself warm.

"A-Are you ready?" Eren asked. He mentally cursed himself for stuttering. Armin looked over his shoulder to his friend and nodded. He hopped off of the bed and Eren join him by his side. The two snuck out of the cabin quickly so they wouldn't wake anyone else up (And so no one would catch on to their idea either).

The cold morning air was bitter and biting at their nose, but it was nothing compared to the air in Armin's memories. It was nippy and there was a slight breeze that brushed past them, running through their hair and stealing their breath away. The trees were rustling with the small breeze, a few leaves being swept across the ground and by their feet. It was still so early and not a soul was in sight. It was just the two boys.

Eren took Armin's hand within his own and started leading Armin away from the barrack and to the dining hall. The two were silent as they walked, but that changed when Armin spoke up.

"Hey, Eren?" He said quietly. Eren looked back at his friend as they walked, a small smile on his lips as he lead Armin around.

"Yes…?"

"I wanted to say thank you." Armin mumbled. Eren helped him up the stairs to the dining hall while simultaneously giving him an odd look.

"Thank you for what?" He asked. The two stopped at the top of the stairs to wait outside the closed doors. They had to wait until the doors were opened, which wouldn't be too long from now.

"For everything," Armin said. "Especially for keeping your promise to me." He added. Eren chuckled quietly as he leaned over the railing.

"Which one?" He asked. Armin pressed a hand on Eren's back, making the boy look at him.

"You promised that you would stay by my side and you did." Armin looked directly into his eyes as he spoke. Eren looked away, a blush dusting his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's not important, Armin. You don't have to thank me for that." He laughed a little more. Armin gave a small tug on the back of Eren's shirt as a punishment and reprimand.

"I want to say it." He made it sound so grave and serious as he spoke. "So thank you." Eren laughed again. He turned on his side and pulled Armin close. He had felt Armin shivering a long time ago.

"Armin, you don't need to thank me. I'm glad you remember me and that's all the thanks I want." Eren assured while brushing some of Armin's bangs from his face and tucking them behind his ear. Armin smiled a genuine smile.

Eren looked away for a moment, his body leaning against the railing as he looked over the Training Corps grounds. He snickered to himself and elbowed Armin's arm.

"Hey look," He motioned forward with his head and Armin looked in the direction he was pointing to. Armin could see Shadis walking toward the cabin they had just left. "I bet you my soup that from here we can hear him holler." Eren scoffed. Armin covered his mouth to hide his laughing.

They didn't know how, but somehow that one little sound was enough to catch Shadis's attention. He saw the two boys from the corner of his dead eyes and stopped in his tracks.

"Arlert," He called out. Armin jumped in response at looked at him. Shadis lifted his hand and gestured for him to go to him.

"I knew you well, Armin." Eren joked and playfully punched Armin's arm. Armin played it off as if it was nothing, but he was mentally panicking.

This was it. This was the deciding factor, the deciding moment.

Armin swallowed the cold air into his lungs as he left Eren's side to go to Shadis. He jumped off of the patio and hesitantly walked to Shadis. With each step his heart pounded faster within his chest. Seeing the man eyeing him with such dead eyes and intensive stare made him shiver. He couldn't help but place his hands near his legs and pull on his fingers.

"Yes sir?" He questioned once he was fully stopped mere feet from the man. Shadis straightened up and placed his hands behind his back.

"Well Arlert, what's the word?" He asked. Armin looked back at Eren for a moment, but Eren seemed busy staring off at something else.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't understand what you mean." Armin mumbled.

"I mean, will you be staying with us for the rest of your training days, or will you be leaving us?" Shadis asked bluntly. Armin heard the chatter of people behind him and he turned around to see the dining hall doors open. Eren turned back to Armin and waved a hand at him, beckoning for him to come back so they could have breakfast. Armin smiled a wide smile before turning back to his commander.

"I'm sorry for answering your question with a question, Commander, but what made you think I would ever leave in the first place?" Armin asked. Without another word, he turned back and headed back to Eren.

Shadis watched closely as Armin went back to stand by Eren's side, and for a moment, just a brief moment, he smiled at the two of them.

* * *

**A/N: *mountain of cookies is gone***

**And that is the end my friends! Please remember to review and tell me all of your thoughts on not only this chapter, but all of the others. Your criticism is greatly appreciated! Also, please remember that if you like my stories and you want to see more SNK stuffles then please follow me. I have many other stories in progress regarding not only this couple but many others. Please follow me so you can read those too.****It would mean a great deal to me if you did that, because as of right now I have my own stories (self written ones) that I am working on and I have lots to learn. Thank you for all of the reviews and comments! It means a whole lot to me! *more chibi sobs* Thank you all again!**

**ありがと ございます！**

**じゃね！**

**-Misty**


End file.
